Broken Not Destroyed
by lateVMlover
Summary: This is an AU set after the destruction of the Glades. Oliver can't take the guilt and flees the city, leaving Thea, John, Felicity, and Roy to pick up the pieces. An unlikely superhero comes to town in search of a slayer. A slight BTVS crossover. Buffy will help train and save city in Oliver's absence. When he returns, he will struggle to deal with the new changes in everyone
1. Chapter 1

**These days I am so obsessed with _Arrow_ and Olicity that I can barely do much writing. I decided, though, to insert my absolutely favorite all time character into the Arrow world and see what happens. This is my fourth Buffy crossover story. This will not be a purely Olicity story, however, there will be hints of it. I'm not sure how long it will go on. Even though it's a crossover story, I'm posting it on the main page due to how sparse the crossover section is for _Arrow._ When it's finished, I will probably move it.**

**This story is an AU for _Arrow_ set after the destruction of the Glades. It's also a _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_ Crossover. The only character from BTVS that will be in this story is Buffy herself. Buffy comes to Starling City about a dozen years or so since she left Sunnydale (Buffy season 7), which will put her in her mid or late 30's. She is in search of a new slayer and is investigating whether or not the earthquake in the Glades was the result of a hellmouth. You don't necessarily have to have watched Buffy to read this story. It may help to know who she is, though. The story will be told from various characters' POV. If you've read any of my other stories, you'll be familiar with my style. All the characters from _Arrow_ will feature prominently in this tale except for any characters from the island. If you're familiar with my writing style, this story will be similar to others. I like to get inside the characters' head and emotions. If you are a Buffy fan but NOT _Arrow_, I don't recommend you read this story since it features almost exclusively _Arrow_ characters. Instead, start watching _Arrow_ on Netflix! You will love it!**

**I had a hard time deciding on a title. I'd like to thank Bewitchingredhead36, Deviljolie, and Forcystus5 for putting up with my emails helping me narrow down choices.**

Chapter 1: Walking Away

Oliver waited at the graveside until the funeral was over. He took the condolences of his family and friends. He tried to console Thea while avoiding Laurel's gaze. The guilt was about to bring him to his knees. He failed his best friend, he failed Laurel, and he failed the city. His entire mission had been a dismal failure. Everyone left the graveside. He couldn't bring himself to leave. Frozen at the sight, he watched the coffin containing his oldest and closest friend be lowered in the grave. His fist clenched in helpless rage.

Felicity finally couldn't take it anymore. She and Diggle had stood in the background and watched the funeral. The public roles they were forced into had kept them from being able to lend Oliver their support. Felicity hated knowing so much about Oliver and yet having to be merely his employee on the surface. They had waited while he stood there saying goodbye to his friend. When he showed no sign of leaving, Felicity finally stepped forward. She reached out and took Oliver's hand.

Oliver looked at her, his expression so full of pain that it brought tears to Felicity's eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Oliver," she said, her eyes filled with sorrow and compassion.

"So am I," Oliver said sadly, his own eyes filled with unshed tears. He squeezed her hand and then pulled away. His eyes found Diggle. "I'm ready to leave."

His friends followed him to the waiting car.

Oliver got into the car. "I'd like to go to the foundry," he said automatically.

"Oliver, there's too much damage," Felicity reminded him.

Oliver needed to work out. He needed a way to let out the rage that seemed like it was going to consume him. Frustration gnawed at him.

"I took the liberty of moving some new equipment in your gym at your house," Diggle told him.

Oliver gave him a grateful look.

"I'll take Felicity home first," Diggle said.

Felicity felt helpless. She wanted so badly to be able to help Oliver. He'd stopped Tommy's father. He'd sacrificed so much. She and Detective Lance had stopped one of the bombs. They had made a difference. Surely, Oliver saw that. Somehow, Felicity knew he was focusing on the lives lost, not the ones saved.

An hour later, Oliver was down in the gym he'd almost forgotten his home contained. He was so used to doing his workouts in the basement of the club that he'd forgotten that the mansion had a state of the art gym. He'd been working out alone, punching the bag, jumping rope, and lifting weights, when Diggle joined him. Diggle threw him a staff. Diggle always knew what he needed. Oliver needed a target he could focus on.

Roy had been searching the house at Thea's request, looking for her brother. Oliver's driver had brought him home. The car was still out front, but Oliver wasn't in his room or any of the obvious places. The house was insanely big. Roy didn't understand why people had houses so large they could lose someone in, but he played the dutiful boyfriend and went to looking for her missing brother.

Oliver Queen scared Roy. Not that he'd ever admit that to anyone. Roy had heard about the playboy older brother. The one so bad that he'd been presumed dead after running off with his girlfriend's sister. The sister was dead and Oliver had been punished severely for his transgression. Five years on a deserted island would've been torture. Roy almost felt sorry for the man. Thea didn't talk too much about her brother except to say that he was different since his return. The look in his eyes when he looked at Roy sometimes terrified him. The eyes didn't seem to fit the image he projected to everyone. They only softened when they were looking at Thea. Roy had noticed this right away. Oliver loved his sister, and she adored him. Roy knew this without a doubt. It made him very careful with Thea. There was no way he was ever going to break up with her. If they were going to end, Roy would make damn sure Thea dumped him!

Sounds of fighting drew him down a hall. One that he'd never been down before. He peeked inside, his eyes widening at the sight. Thea's brother was shirtless. His driver was, too. Both men were ripped. The driver was an ex-soldier, so Roy didn't guess that was too surprising. What was surprising was the way the two men were going at it. The skill and fire the two men showed as they attacked one another with large sticks blew Roy's mind. It almost looked like they were trying to kill one another. Finally, Oliver managed to knock his driver down. Roy stood there in open-mouthed shock. He had no idea his girlfriend's brother was capable of such violence or had such skill. The implications frightened him.

Roy felt relieved when Oliver reached down to help Diggle up. He started to push the door all the way open and announce his presence, but the sight of Oliver's scars gave him pause. The man was covered in them. Roy now understood the look in the man's eyes. Oliver Queen had suffered. And he had suffered greatly. Watching him now, it was obvious that he was still suffering. His mother was in jail and his best friend killed in an earthquake that had killed hundreds. An earthquake his mom had something to do with. It was a mess. For the first time, he felt the stirrings of sympathy for Thea's brother.

"Do you feel better?" Diggle asked, handing Oliver a water bottle.

"I'm never going to feel better. I failed. I didn't stop Merlyn. I didn't save Tommy. I accomplished nothing!" Oliver said angrily. Roy swallowed hard as his words began to paint a picture. A picture Roy couldn't believe.

"Felicity and Lance managed to keep one of the devices from going off. Countless lives were saved. We got the Dark Archer. Your mission is complete," Diggle said.

"At what cost, John? I killed my best friend's father and lied to Tommy before he died. He died thinking I kept his murderous, insane father alive," Oliver said in disgust.

"You didn't do anything alone," Diggle said.

Roy took a step back. His mind reeling. "Oh shit!" he exclaimed. His hand went over his mouth. Did he say that out loud?

He turned to flee the scene when a hand grabbed his arm and yanked him hard in the room. Oliver Queen glared down at him. "What are you doing here?" Oliver asked harshly. He had Roy pinned to the wall, his hands around Roy's throat.

"Your—your sister sent me to find you. She's worried," Roy gasped, terrified.

"Oliver," Diggle warned.

Oliver released Roy, his glare still present. "What did you hear?" he demanded.

Roy thought about lying, but the lie died in his throat at the man's piercing look. He'd been searching for the Hood for so long, and now he was looking at him. He never dreamed it'd be his girlfriend's brother. "You're the Hood!" Roy said, his eyes wide with the new knowledge.

For a brief moment, Oliver thought about denying it. The lie came to his lips so easily. However, he was so tired. Tired of the lying, tired of the double life, tired of trying to balance his two worlds. Everything had fallen apart. His dreams have been shattered. There was no more lies left to say. He turned and gave Roy his back.

Roy saw the evidence of more scars on the backside of Oliver. The appearance of the Hood had coincided with the reappearance of Oliver Queen. It should've been obvious now that Roy thought about it. Knowing the Hood had an accomplice explained how Oliver managed to throw the police off his scent. "I've been looking for you. You saved my life. I want to learn from you. I want to help save people!" Roy said eagerly.

Oliver turned and gave him a look that froze his words. "You want to be a killer? Is that it? You want me to teach you how to kill?" Oliver asked angrily. "My sister will not ever be with a man like me. I'll kill you myself before that happens!"

He took a step toward Roy, and Roy gulped. Diggle stepped in front of him. "Oliver," he said in a quiet tone. Somehow, just saying Oliver's name served to calm the man down.

"I don't want to kill anyone!" Roy assured him. "I want to help people. That's what you do. You saved my life!"

"If you tell Thea or anyone what you've discovered, it'll be the last mistake you ever make," Oliver threatened. He held Roy's gaze a moment before walking out of the room.

Roy let out a breath. Diggle stepped up to him. "Oliver didn't mean that. He's upset. Merlyn almost killed him. It took both of us to put him down. We didn't know the man had two devices. We tried to stop him. But Tommy died. So many people died," Diggle said tiredly.

"I won't say a word. I swear!" Roy vowed.

"I hope you can keep that vow. The last thing this family needs is more scandal. The truth will destroy your sister. She's lost enough," Diggle said. He held Roy's gaze before following after Oliver.

Roy had trouble believing what had happened. His mind couldn't seem to process it all. One thing he knew. Oliver Queen really had died on that island. The man Oliver just met was _not _the brother Thea adored. Roy didn't know what Oliver had gone through but one thing was obvious. There was no way in hell the man had been alone on that island. Roy learned how to fight to survive. He knew how to run and evade most foes in the Glades. The skills that Oliver acquired on the island had obviously been honed for survival. These skills had come out of grim necessity.

Roy cautiously followed behind Oliver until he joined Thea. He watched as Thea wrapped her arms around Oliver, seeking comfort. Unlike Roy, Oliver could share her pain. She had adored Tommy. She had told Roy that he'd been like another brother, her first crush, her confidant. He'd replaced Oliver when Oliver had been presumed dead. Missing Oliver, he had kept coming around. Tommy had never abandoned Thea. His death devastated her. Roy sat down in the corner waiting until he was needed. He wasn't quite sure how he was going to keep a secret like this from Thea.

******_A Few Weeks Later******_

Oliver couldn't take it anymore. He felt like he was going to explode. He was tired of the calls, tired of the lawyers, and tired of the news. The horrible images from the Glades. He caused that. He figured out too late who Merlyn was. He had failed at such an awful cost. There was no way he could stay another night in Starling City. Not if he wanted to keep his sanity.

Having made the decision, he didn't know who to tell first, Thea or Felicity. Neither would take the news well. Thea was looking to him to save his mom, save the family, and save the company. Felicity had him on a pedestal so high his fall was inevitable. The only way to save them both from further hurt was to get off the pedestal completely. He couldn't fix anything. That he knew now without a doubt. He decided to tell Diggle first.

He was at home. Arrangements were already made. He was leaving that night. Diggle answered his call and came up to his room.

"What's up?" Diggle asked cautiously. He wasn't sure which way to tread with Oliver these days.

"I'm leaving. I've made arrangements for you to continue to guard my family. Keep an eye on Felicity. I put funds in both your accounts. What the two of you've done for me can never be repaid. I will always be grateful," Oliver said, holding out his hand.

Diggle hadn't expected this, so he ignored the offered hand. "What? You're just going to leave? Your family needs you now more than ever. This city is falling apart in case you've not been paying attention!" Diggle said, trying to control his temper.

"Of course, I know! I know that my meddling only made things worse! I didn't save Tommy! I didn't save my mother! I didn't manage to do a damn thing right! I can't stand to look at myself in the mirror. I need to get away," Oliver said bluntly, despair in his eyes.

"How long?" Diggle asked when he realized how serious Oliver was about this.

"I don't know. As long as it takes. Until I can stomach the sight of my own image," Oliver said, his self-loathing obvious.

Diggle stood silent and looked at him a few minutes. He could see the ragged edge Oliver walked on. He'd seen the look before. Too many times. Even on his own face. Finally, he nodded. "Okay," he said. "But you're telling Felicity."

Oliver grimaced but nodded. "Telling Thea will be bad enough."

He finished giving Diggle some instructions, and then he went downstairs to find his sister. She was playing Xbox with Roy. Sometimes he forgot how young she still was. At other times, he looked at her and didn't recognize her, still expecting to see the child he'd said goodbye to six years ago.

"Thea, we need to talk," Oliver said, getting her attention.

Roy recognized his serious tone and paused the game. He got up. "I'll give you guys some privacy," he said.

Oliver held out his hand. "No, stay," he said. He knew his sister would need Roy's support. He looked at Thea. "I'm going to leave town for a bit."

Thea frowned in confusion. "I thought you were going to reopen the club? The renovations will be complete soon. I was hoping I could work with you. Let me help you manage it. I don't want to go to school. How can I think about college when our mother is going to be tried for mass murder?"

"You don't want to go to college? Seriously? I thought you'd love a chance to get out of town," Oliver said in surprise.

"Like I can escape what's happened! What she's done!" Thea said bitterly.

Oliver glanced over at Roy as if seeking help. Roy shrugged. What could he say? Thea had a point. Her mom put the welfare of her two children over hundreds of innocent people.

"I need a break from all this myself. Surely going away to school will be a relief," Oliver suggested.

Thea's eyes flashed fire. "You can run away if you want Ollie, but I will _not_!" she exclaimed.

"I'm not running away! I just need a break!" Oliver said defensively.

"Well, go! Leave me again! You seem to be so good at it!" Thea said scornfully. She turned her back away from him.

Oliver was taken aback by her anger. Roy finally intervened, getting to his feet and going toward her. He put his arm around her shoulder. "Babe, he spent years away from all the publicity and stuff. He was on that island. You don't want him to, like, have a mental break down or something," he offered lamely. He gave Oliver a guilty glance but shrugged. He didn't have any real words to make Oliver leaving okay. He couldn't very well tell her that Oliver was the Hood and the most dangerous man in the city. Nor could Roy say that if her brother needed a mental health break, it was safer for everyone if he got it.

"Please, don't be mad, Thea," Oliver begged. "I love you more than anything. You have to know that. I wouldn't leave if I didn't have to."

Thea finally looked up at him. She saw something in his eyes that gave her pause. She wasn't completely self-involved. She knew that her brother had come back more than a little bit broken. His body full of scars said more than he ever did. It made her heart hurt to think of what he might've went through. "Okay, Oliver," she said quietly. "Promise me that you'll come back to me this time. Promise me you won't stay gone too long."

Oliver pulled her against him for a tight hug. His eyes connected with Roy. "Take care of her," he ordered. Roy, of course, knew that it wasn't just a brother speaking those words. If anything happened to Thea while Oliver was gone, the Hood would make sure Roy was punished.

Roy nodded. "I will," he vowed. Thea clung to him as Oliver left. "Don't worry. Your brother is a survivor. He'll be back before you know it."

Thea felt bereft. Her father was gone. Her mother was gone. Tommy was gone. Now Oliver was leaving again. She had a feeling things were never going to be the same.

*****_Across Town*****_

Diggle drove Oliver to Felicity's apartment. He didn't want to have this talk at work.

Felicity was surprised when she looked in her peek hole and saw Oliver standing outside her apartment door. She quickly opened it. "Oliver? Is everything okay?" she asked. She stepped back to let him in.

"Sorry to drop by unannounced, but Diggle's taking me to the airport, and I wanted to say goodbye before I left," Oliver said.

"Goodbye? Where are you going?" Felicity asked in confusion.

"I need to leave, Felicity. I can't stay here anymore. Everything I touch seems to fall apart. Tommy's dead. My family's name has been destroyed. I failed," he said, his eyes full of sorrow.

Felicity looked at him with compassion. She reached out and touch his arm. "You saved a lot of lives, Oliver," she told him.

He shook his head. "No. You and Detective Lance did. All I did was murder my best friend's father," he said bitterly.

"It wasn't murder!" Felicity said hotly. "Don't you ever say that! Diggle was there, too. You would've been dead if that man had his way. We all would've!"

Oliver knew it was pointless to argue with Felicity. She only saw him a certain way. Nothing he said would ever change that. In her eyes, he could do no wrong. He both loved and hated that about her. "Felicity, I appreciate your support, your faith in me. I deposited some money in your account for all the work you did for me," he told her.

"I didn't do it for the money!" she said hotly.

"I know you didn't, but you earned it," he said. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Felicity said softly. He was just going to walk away. She never asked him to come into her life, to change her, to change everything. But he had. Now he was just going to stop being who he was to this city. To her. How could he do that? She wanted to tell him that. She wanted to demand answers, to yell, to beg him to stay. However, his eyes held too much pain. How could she add to it?

He gave her a grateful look as if understanding what she held back. Felicity stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his middle. "I'm going to miss you," she mumbled against his chest.

He squeezed his eyes closed a moment, his arms hugging her back. Her embrace felt both new and familiar at the same time. A pang hit his heart as it occurred to him that he may never have a reason to be in this position again. Without the Hood, he and Felicity had no real ties. The realization made him incredibly sad. He stepped out of her embrace. "Take care," he said. Involuntarily, his hand rose up to cup her cheek. He tried to convey with his eyes what he was unable to voice. Then he turned to leave, unable to actually say goodbye to the only female in his life he never had to lie to.

Felicity watched him walk out her door, unable to process what exactly had occurred. She went through the motions of closing and locking her door. In a fog, she sat down on her couch. She sat there immobile for a while. Then she curled up in a ball, her mind racing. Who would she be now without the Hood? Could she simply pick back up her life as if nothing had changed? Could she only be Felicity Smoak, IT girl extraordinaire? Dissatisfaction filled her at the thought. Sorrow sprung up insider as an overwhelming sense of loss hit her.

"I'm not going to cry!" she said out loud. She kept repeating that mantra as the tears rolled down her cheek.

*****_A Month Later*****_

Buffy Summers drove into Starling City as the sun was setting. She stopped the bike she was driving and took off her helmet, looking at the city below. According to Giles, this city had major problems. Rising crime, death, an earthquake. The signs suggested there were supernatural elements a foot. Buffy didn't know, but she would find out. One thing she knew, though, was the city held a slayer. Willow had sent her here to bring the girl home to them. Willow was never wrong.

******_Chapter End*******_

_I hope this first chapter made it clear that although Buffy is in it, it's mostly an Arrow story. I'll be using Buffy as a way to view the characters through her POV and a way to change the direction of the show into a more fun direction. I hope you enjoyed this. I have several chapters written, so I will update fairly regularly. Thanks for reading, following, and reviewing!_


	2. Chapter 2

**I enjoy this story so much that I thought I'd post another chapter for you. I hope you like it as much! ;)**

**If you've never watched Buffy, let me know if you need more history. I wanted to view the Arrow characters through the eyes of someone completely out of the Starling City realm. Buffy will serve as another pair of eyes into the Arrow world and a catalyst for some major change. When Oliver returns, she will force him to re-evaluate how he views his world.**

Chapter 2: New In Town

Buffy enjoyed the new freedom she'd earned the past five years. There were so many slayers in various hot spots across the world that she no longer had to run the show. To defeat the First evil and to close the hellmouth in Sunnydale, Willow had channeled her magic into an ancient, magical scythe and turned all potential slayers in the world into actual slayers. All over the world in one moment in time slayers everywhere had been awakened. Willow could feel them all. New ones were born or activated all the time. Normally, when they reached fifteen or so, the slayer power in them was awakened. Giles, Xander, and Andrew had gotten the Watcher's Council back up and running after the First had destroyed it. They really didn't need her for the day to day stuff. They hadn't in several years really. Buffy had earned the right to do what she wanted. Since her last relationship had inevitably fallen apart more than two years ago, she'd been traveling solo recruiting new slayers. She liked traveling to new places and meeting new people without the pressure guarding a hellmouth always brought. Sometimes she felt restless with her nomadic existence, but nothing had yet tempted her to stay in one place for long.

The new slayer Buffy had come to Starling City to make contact with was eighteen. Willow had felt her two years ago, but they had been unable to spare any resources to hunt her up. Willow had identified who she was, though, and determined she was safe where she was at. She was also very high profile-Thea Queen, the daughter of a billionaire, the first slayer to come from such a background. Her mother's involvement in the recent events in her town had damaged the family name, yet Thea Queen had stayed in the city. Buffy assumed she'd either dismissed any college plans or had put them on hold. She had channeled all that slayer energy into work.

Buffy frowned as she watched Thea Queen give orders to her bartender. For the past week, Buffy had been coming into Verdant, the club the elusive Oliver Queen had started. After the Glades fell, the tortured playboy had left town. His best friend Tommy Merlyn had died in the earthquake that his father and Moira Queen were behind. Buffy couldn't help but admire Thea Queen, who not only stayed but managed to open back up her brother's club. Inner strength was definitely a quality a slayer had.

After observing her, Buffy wasn't quite sure how to proceed. It was clear that Thea had her hands full with her mother's trial coming up. Buffy wasn't sure taking her out of Starling City was the best course of action. Undecided how to approach the girl, she once again left the club before it got too rowdy or before she'd managed to make contact with Thea.

Buffy had found a cheap hotel not too far away. She normally walked to the club. It was getting harder and harder to ignore the chaos in the Glades. A beat cop walked toward her.

"Ma'am, the Glades aren't safe at night. Hell, they're not safe in the day time now a days," the cop said in disgust.

Buffy smiled at the man. She always found it endearing when a guy got all protective with her. There was a time when she found it annoying. But since she hit 30, she'd decided to take it in stride. Now it amused her.

"I'll be okay," she said, flashing the officer a smile. He was cute with amazing eyes. He looked to be around forty or so.

Quentin frowned at the attractive blonde woman. She was entirely too pretty to roam around this part of the city at night. "Attractive women are at extreme risks. Since the earthquake, the number of street thugs have risen. They target the weak or anyone walking alone," he said.

"So you think I'm weak?" Buffy asked, arching an eyebrow.

Quentin winced and tried backpedaling. "Uh..no, ma'am. I mean you're alone. It's dark. It's not a good idea," he said weakly.

"Officer?" she asked, trying to read his name tag in the poor light.

"Lance. Quentin Lance," he said, giving her a small smile. He held out his hand.

Buffy took his hand. "Buffy. Buffy Summers. It's nice to meet you. I'm new in town, but I do know that the crime has risen in this town. I'm always careful. Not to mention I've had a lot of practice in self-defense," she said. She started walking and wasn't surprised when he kept pace with her.

"So has my daughter, but I still would object to her walking around the Glades at night," he said.

Buffy glanced at his left hand, looking for a ring. "You have a daughter? How old is she?" she asked.

He seemed surprised at the personal question. "Oh, well, she's probably close to your age," he said.

Buffy stopped walking and looked at him in amazement. "You have a daughter that's thirty-six?" she asked in surprise.

Quentin's mouth fell open. "You're thirty-six? I thought you were about a decade younger," he admitted, looking sheepish.

Buffy broke out into a huge smile. "That's so sweet! I have this weird metabolism that keeps me healthy and younger looking than I am, but it's nice to hear anyway!" she exclaimed.

She turned back and resumed her walk toward her hotel. He kept up with her. They walked a block in silence. Quentin kept looking around, obviously vigilant. "So I bet your wife hates you working these late nights," she said, trying to make conversation. She was also a bit curious about his martial status. She'd been alone for thirty long months.

"I'm divorced," Quentin admitted. "A few years now."

"Well, at least you managed to find someone to marry. I can't seem to find one man to put up with me long enough to marry me!" she said with a self-deprecating smile.

"Why don't I believe you?" Quentin asked, a grin on his face. "I bet you have a trail of broken hearts following you everywhere you go."

Buffy laughed. "A few," she admitted. "But not in awhile." She stopped in front of her hotel.

Quentin glanced up. "You are staying here?" he asked in distaste. "It's not a good choice."

"It's cheap. It's close to the club," she said with a shrug.

"So are you here on business or relocating?" he asked

"Business. I scout out potential clients and try to recruit them for my company," Buffy said carefully. "I could afford a better place to stay, but this is convenient." She decided she better cut the conversation before he asked more. "Thanks for walking me safely to my door."

He tipped his hat at her and stepped back. "Be careful," he said. He stayed and watched her walk through the hotel. Shaking his head, he walked down the road. There was no point in speculating about her. Despite being older than she appeared, she was still too young for him, and she was obviously more foolish than brave.

******_The Next Night******_

Felicity had spent the first two weeks of Oliver's absence just going through the motions. She couldn't believe he'd really left. He'd not contacted them at all except for a short email telling them he'd arrived at his destination in one piece. Of course, he wasn't telling them where exactly that destination was. A week ago, Felicity had finally discovered the ridiculous sum of money Oliver had left in her checking account. When she'd called Dig, he admitted to the same thing in his own. Although Oliver mentioned it before he'd left, she either hadn't believed him or his words hadn't registered. After she saw the insanely large amount Oliver had left, she and Diggle had met up for dinner and begun to make plans. Both agreed that they needed to be ready for Oliver's eventual return. It was a given that he'd be back. They just didn't know how long.

Felicity was eager to show Diggle what she'd done to their lair as she liked to call it. A total upgrade all around.

"Impressive," John Diggle said, looking around. He saw the new Arrow suit in the glass and laughed. "Not very subtle are you?"

Felicity grinned. "Well, I figured if I'm going to go all out, I shouldn't hold back!" she said with satisfaction. She pointed to the new computer. "These new upgrades are so amazing! I can do anything with them!"

Diggle laughed at her enthusiasm. "Well, put them to work to locate Oliver. The publicity of his mother's trail is getting uglier by the day. He needs to come home soon. He's been gone over a month," John said.

Felicity's smile slipped some. "What if he doesn't want to come home?" she asked. It was the fear that haunted her. He'd started something and felt like he'd failed. However, since he'd left, the city had grown worse. Some believed the Hood had died in the quake.

"His family is here. He'll come home eventually. They need him. He just needs some time," John said, trying to sound more confident that he felt. "I got to meet Carly for dinner. Can I walk you to your car?"

"No. I need to do some work down here," Felicity said.

"It's not a good idea to be in the Glades after dark," John said with a frown.

"I'll leave in a bit. It's not even dark yet. Don't worry," Felicity said.

"Call me if you need me," John told her. She nodded and he left.

She meant to keep her word, but she got caught up. Before she knew it, three hours had passed. When she noticed the time, she winced. She shut down the computers and went out the side door. Her car wasn't far. However, she was apprehensive. The Glades had become a nightmare since the quake. It was like the world had gone insane. Nighttime was definitely the worse time to be in the Glades.

When she made it outside, she walked briskly to her car, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. She'd almost made it to her car when she was surrounded by a group of teenage boys.

"Ooh, lookie here. A sweet little bird all alone," one of the guys said.

Another guy tried to grab her purse. Felicity instinctively clutched it to her. "I don't have any money on me," she said quickly.

"That's okay. We take credit," one of the said with a snicker.

Felicity called out loudly. "Anyone out there? Call the cops! I'm being robbed!"

One of the guys gave her an angry look and pulled out a knife. "I think we can do better than robbery!" he said with a malevolent look.

Her heart pounded with fear. She felt helpless. One or two she could possibly escape from, but there were five of them. She backed up until she hit her car. "Please don't hurt me!"

"Nothing I hate more than bullies," a voice said from behind them.

The guys and Felicity all looked at the newcomer. Felicity groaned when it was just another petite blonde female like herself. "Call the cops!" she cried out.

"I don't think that'll be necessary," the woman said with a smile. Then Felicity's mouth fell open as the girl proceeded to effortlessly take on the guys. She knocked three of them unconscious in less than three minutes. One of the guys ran off. The final one with the knife grabbed Felicity and used her as a shield, the knife at her throat.

"I'll kill her!" the guy threatened.

A voice behind Buffy called out. "Are you guys okay?"

"Call the cops!" Buffy called back. Then she turned to the guy. "Put the knife down before you do something you can't take back." Buffy kept her voice calm. She didn't have much experience dealing with the criminal element. It was hard for her to understand how humans with souls could be so cruel and vicious. However, she knew there were people in the world that cared nothing for others. They didn't mind hurting or killing the weak or any who got in their way. It was the police's job to deal with them. Buffy knew this. Nevertheless, she was incapable of walking away from a victim of violence.

"Back off or she dies!" the guy screamed.

Buffy held up her hands and took a step back. Felicity decided she had enough. Remembering what Diggle had taught her, she stomped down hard on the guys foot with her chic half boots. Then elbowed him hard in the stomach before pulling away. As soon as the guy lost his shield, he took off running.

Buffy snickered and bent down and picked up a rock—the Glades were full of pieces of buildings since the earthquake. She pitched it, and the rock struck him in the back of his head. He fell to the ground.

"Are you okay?" Buffy asked the girl.

Felicity blinked up at the woman who saved her. She regarded her in awe. Breathing heavy, she asked, "How-how did you do that?" she asked.

Buffy shrugged. "I've had some training. I grew up in a rough town myself," she said. She held out her hand to help the girl up. "I'm Buffy."

"Felicity," she replied.

"Felicity?" a voice said. The two women turned to see Officer Lance quickly approaching. He recognized Buffy. "Are you two okay?"

"Detective Lance, you need to arrest those guys," Felicity said, pointing. "They surrounded me, tried to mug me. And that guy over there, pulled a knife on me and threatened to kill me."

Quentin looked around at the prone men. Two other officers approached. "Cuff those guys," he ordered. He turned back to the women as he bent down to turn one of the guys over and handcuff the man's hands. "Do one of you want to explain how these men ended up unconscious?"

Felicity glanced at Buffy. "I've been taking self-defense classes," she said proudly. "Buffy came along and lent a hand." For some reason, the desire to cover up the extent of Buffy's skill came to her naturally. Buffy gave her a grateful smile and a wink.

Buffy allowed the young woman to talk to the officer since she appeared to know him. She noticed Felicity had called Officer Lance detective.

"So the two of you took out five guys?" Officer Lance asked them, the disbelief apparent in his expression.

"I told you I could handle myself," Buffy said with a saucy smile.

Quentin shook his head as he hauled up the guy. He handed him off to another officer and took out his notepad. "Start at the beginning," he said.

Felicity gave Buffy an apologetic look. She didn't want to lie to Quentin. She had deep respect for the man. "Well..."

"Look, I approached," Buffy cut her off, a bit impatient. "I saw a girl surrounded by five guys. I took care of two of them. One ran off. The other engaged me while his friend put a knife to her throat. After I knocked out the remaining guy, she managed to disarm him. As he ran off, I threw a rock at him, knocking him out." A decade ago, Buffy would've made up a story. These days more women existed that were strong and capable. Women were even allowed on the frontlines in war. She was tired of pretending to be weak and found she had very little patience with acting the role of helpless female.

Quentin looked skeptical but didn't say anything as he wrote down her statement.

Inside the club, Roy was told by a bouncer that the cops were nearby. He went outside to investigate and saw the gathering across the street in the club parking lot. He recognized one of the girls as an employee of Queens Consolidated. She'd been at Tommy's funeral. The day he'd found out the Hood's real identity was seared into his brain. As he looked at the girl, he moved closer. He heard Detective Lance call the girl Felicity. Then he realized this was most likely the Felicity Diggle had been referring to when he was talking to Oliver about the earthquake. Lance and she had stopped the second device that Merlyn had. He eagerly joined them, hoping to connect with the Hood's accomplice.

"Detective Lance, is everything okay?" Roy asked.

"Why do they keep calling you detective?" Buffy asked him.

He ignored her question and began telling Roy what had occurred.

"He was a detective, but he got demoted for risking his life disarming one of Merlyn's earthquake devices," Felicity said, still disgusted by his circumstances.

"Seriously?" Buffy asked.

"He ignored a direct order from his superior," Felicity whispered as Lance glared at her.

"Tell your girlfriend that everything's under control. The perpetrators are in custody," Lance said.

Roy nodded. "Ladies, do you want to come inside for a drink? Or do you want me to drive you home?" he offered.

"My car is right there," Felicity said, pointing. "I'll be happy to take Buffy home."

"That's a good idea," Lance said, giving Buffy a pointed look. He warned about the violence on the streets of Starling City. She got lucky this time. She might not be so lucky the next time. Walking alone at night was a way to temp fate.

Buffy knew things would go smoother if she just agreed. Plus, she wanted to make sure Felicity was really okay, so she nodded in agreement. It's not every day that a girl gets held hostage with a knife at her throat. Although the girl looked remarkably composed, Buffy felt compelled to make sure she was really okay.

Roy really wanted to talk to Felicity, but he knew now wasn't the time. "Ladies, I know my boss would be upset to know you were attacked outside the club. Please, come by tomorrow. Drinks will be on the house," he offered.

Felicity smiled at Roy. Diggle had told her that Roy was now aware of Oliver's identity as the vigilante. So far he'd kept his word. Oliver's secret was still safe. "I'll try," she said.

"Is that it?" Buffy asked Officer Lance.

"Yes. Tomorrow I'll need you both to come down to the station and give an official statement," he said.

"Will you be there?" Buffy asked, smiling at him.

"Well, no. I'm off tomorrow," he said. "But any officer can take the report. They'll pass it on to me."

"So you're free tomorrow?" Buffy inquired.

"Free?" Officer Lance asked.

Roy snickered. "I think she's trying to ask you out," he said.

Felicity couldn't help but admire the woman's boldness. Of course, it shouldn't be surprising that a woman with her skills would be bold when it came to men. She wanted to be like that some day.

Lance looked startled and glanced at Buffy who looked amused. "Life's too short to be coy," she said with a shrug. "I'm new in town. I don't know anyone. I thought maybe we could have dinner."

"Well-uh-sure," Lance replied, feeling like a school boy. It'd be a long time since a beautiful woman not related to him wanted to spend time with him.

Buffy smiled in pleasure. "Then we can meet Felicity here for drinks afterward," she suggested.

Felicity gave her a surprised but pleased smile. All the time helping Oliver had caused her to drift away from most of her friends. They'd stopped inviting her out. She'd never had a lot of friends, but the ones she'd managed to cultivate in Starling City had mostly forgotten about her. "If you don't mind a third wheel," she said.

"Nonsense!" Buffy said dismissively. "The more the merrier."

"That's fine," Quentin said. Another person around would probably take off the pressure.

"Well, we should go," Felicity said to Buffy.

"Pick me up at seven," Buffy told Quentin.

"Ah, what room are you in?" he asked, feeling awkward with both Roy and Felicity there observing their exchange.

"Twenty-nine," Buffy said, smiling. He was so adorable when he was flustered.

She opened up Felicity's passenger door and got in. "I'll see you guys tomorrow," Roy said waving at them before leaving.

Quentin walked Felicity around to the driver's side of her car. Before she could open the door, he asked, "I haven't spotted your friend lately. Did he survive the earthquake?"

Felicity wasn't sure how to reply. Finally, she said, "I hope so. I haven't heard from him, though. But I'd like to believe he's still out there somewhere. If he was hurt, I hope he's healing."

"I can't believe what we did. I'm still waking up in a cold sweat," he admitted.

"You and me both," Felicity said. "I just wish we'd known about the second device."

"How could you have known?" he said.

Felicity looked sad a moment thinking about all that had died. "I guess we have to be grateful that we stopped one of them or the destruction would've been much worse," she said. She opened her car door.

"Very true. Be careful out there," Lance said.

Buffy watched Felicity slide into the car. She couldn't help but notice the very serious looking conversation the woman had been having with Officer Lance. "Is everything okay?" she inquired. "You two were looking quite serious there."

"Just reminiscing," Felicity said as she started the car. "I'm good with computers and stuff. Detective Lance called me when he located the device. I talked him through the disarmament since I had access to Queen Consolidated's schematics." She figured there was no harm in telling that to Buffy, a newcomer to the town.

Buffy looked impressed. "Wow! That's amazing!" she said. "I just live a few blocks down the street. But you've had a terrifying experience. Would you like some company?"

Felicity normally wasn't so trusting with strangers but had learned to trust her instincts when it came to people. She had with Oliver and hadn't been wrong. Buffy had a spark, a confidence that made Felicity trust her. She suspected that Buffy had a few secrets of her own. Without Oliver in town, she had time to make a new friend.

"You know I really would," she said, smiling.

******_Chapter End******_

_In several ways Felicity reminds me both Willow and Dawn, so I can totally see Buffy being drawn to her. I hope you liked this update! I love reviews! I know you probably missed Oliver, and we will see a bit about what Oliver is up to in the next chapter._


	3. Chapter 3

**This chapter is a bit longer than most will be. I hope you enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Arrow or the Green Arrow!**

Chapter 3: Making New Friends

_******The Next Day*****_

Felicity met Diggle for lunch. Now that he was spending his days guarding Thea, they didn't get to spend as much time together. She missed him. Oliver's absence left a giant whole in her life. One that she didn't realize would leave her so off balanced.

"Thanks for having lunch with me," Felicity said. They were meeting at the cafe around the corner from her work.

"I'm glad you asked. It's not the same not seeing you every day," John said, smiling at her. She'd been a bright and surprising addition to Oliver's quest. Sometimes John believed if Oliver gave her enough time, she could help him more than he realized. Since his only brother's passing, John'd lost that immediate sense of family. Somehow Felicity had quickly become like a little sister to him. He valued their friendship.

"Yeah, I know," she said morosely. Then she brightened. "I made a new friend!" She excitedly filled him in on her adventure the night before.

Diggle frowned as he listened to her tale. "Why didn't you call me?" he asked.

"Well, Buffy saved me. Then she came over to my apartment to hang out and make sure I was okay," Felicity said, flushing with happiness. "I haven't really made a girlfriend since I moved here. Most of the people I work with in IT are guys. She's around your age, but she looks younger. She's got a date tonight with Detective Lance—I mean officer Lance. I'm never going to get used to calling him that!"

John smiled fondly at her as she rambled. He'd missed her rambles the past few weeks. However, he didn't like knowing she'd almost been hurt. He should've waited for her. "I'm sorry, Felicity. I know how bad the Glades have gotten. I shouldn't have left you alone," John said.

"I was the one that lost track of time!" she said with a rueful grin. "You can make it up to me, though. Why don't you join me at the club tonight? Buffy wanted me to join her and officer Lance for drinks. I'll feel like less of a third wheel if you're there."

"Sure. It sounds like fun," he said. "I'd like to meet this girl who could single handedly take out five guys."

"She was incredible!" Felicity said in admiration. "She made it seem so easy. Like they weren't even a challenge for her! The way she threw that rock and knocked out that guy. You should've seen her!"

John frowned. "What did you say her last name was?" he asked.

"Summers. She's from L.A. originally. But she went to high school in that town that got destroyed by the earthquake. Sunnydale," Felicity said.

Recognizing the name, John grew more concerned. "I can't wait to meet her," he said easily, not telling Felicity his concern.

Felicity beamed at him, and she continued to tell him about her evening with Buffy.

After Felicity left, Diggle got out his phone to make some calls. Finally, he found the guy he wanted to reach. Riley Finn.

"Riley? This is John Diggle."

"Diggle? How the hell are you?" Riley asked. "I lost track of you after our last deployment overseas."

"Yeah, you got pulled for that special assignment," John reminded him. "How did that work out?"

"Good," he replied. "I was sorry to hear about your brother."

"Me, too," John said soberly. "The reason I'm calling is I have a friend who ran into a woman from that town you told me about. Sunnydale."

Riley sat up in the chair he was in. "Sunnydale? What about it?" he asked cautiously.

"Did you know a woman named Buffy Summers?" John asked.

Riley was silent a moment. He was a happily married man with two kids, but never would he forget the woman who changed his life. "Yes, I knew her," he admitted. "She's an ex-girlfriend of mine."

"Really?" John asked in surprise. He hadn't expected that.

"Yes, she's an amazing woman," Riley said.

A memory clicked in John. "Is she the woman you almost destroyed your career over?" he asked.

"She's the one," he confirmed. "And worth it."

Riley's words gave John pause. "She took out four would be muggers who were trying to hurt a friend of mine. Does that surprise you?" John asked.

"No. She put me on my ass more than once," Riley shared.

"You? The king of special assignments?" John asked in surprise. Riley was as tough as they come.

"If you're wanting to know if Buffy's trustworthy, the answer is yes. There's not a person alive that I'd want watching my back more than Buffy. And if you tell my wife I said that, I'll kill you," Riley said.

John chuckled. "Is she ex-military?" John asked.

"Not exactly. She worked with us on a few assignments," Riley shared. "She doesn't take orders well. She's more like a general than a soldier. Buffy Summers isn't like other women."

"What do you mean?" Diggle asked, suspicious.

"Let's just say that the world isn't exactly what you think it is. There are things out there that defy the imagination. There is evil that needs to be destroyed that most humans aren't equipped to deal with, and it's Buffy's job is to deal with it," Riley explained.

"How am I supposed to decipher that?" Diggle asked in outrage.

"It's the best I can do. All my dealings with Buffy Summers are classified. I can't tell you more than that," Riley said. "But I can tell you this. Buffy is the best friend anyone could have. If you have a friend that has met her, they're a very lucky person."

Diggle spoke a bit more with his old friend and hung up the phone. Now he was more intrigued than ever to meet the woman Riley almost gave up the army for.

******_A Few Hours Later******_

Buffy decided that she'd waited long enough to reveal herself to Thea. Starling City and all its dysfunctionality was starting to get to her. Last night at Felicity's, she'd actually started to enjoy herself. The sweet, awkward young woman reminded her so much of both Willow and her sister Dawn that she'd went home and called them both. They both were in England. They had put down roots and made a life for themselves. Buffy felt Faith was probably the only one who truly got the restlessness that filled her. Faith spent her time traveling and putting out fires for the Council. Buffy dealt with recruitment. Neither woman had much luck at maintaining a relationship with a man or starting a family of their own. Most days Buffy was okay with that. Sometimes, though, she longed for something more. She didn't necessarily wish there was an apocalypse to stop, but she missed both the adrenal rush and the action apocalypses brought. Buffy wasn't quite sure what that said about her, however.

It was four in the afternoon when she walked into Verdant. "We're not open yet," the bartender said.

"I'm looking for your manager," Buffy said.

Roy spotted her and waved. "She's okay, Tony," he said to the bartender. He smiled and walked to her. "Good to see you again. What can I do for you?"

"I was hoping to talk to Thea," Buffy said.

"Do you know her?" Roy asked in surprise.

"Not exactly," Buffy said. "I have something I need to discuss with her."

"Roy? Who's this?" Thea asked as she came into their line of sight.

"This is the woman I was telling you about last night. The one that saved Felicity from muggers," Roy said. "This is Thea."

"Buffy," Buffy said, greeting her with a friendly smile.

"Do you need a job? We could use another bouncer," Thea said with a grin. "I totally love the idea of a female bouncer!"

Roy grinned. "That would rock!" he agreed.

"The truck's here," Tony said.

"Excuse me. I need to unload that," Roy said. "I hope to see you tonight, Buffy."

She smiled at him. Before Buffy could speak, Thea asked, "So would you like the job?"

"You're serious?" Buffy asked in surprise. Maybe working legitimately with Thea would give her a chance to get to know the woman and find out if recruiting her would be best for her or not.

"Sure. Why not?" Thea asked with a grin.

"Well, I sort of have a job that requires me to travel. That's why I'm in town," Buffy said.

"No big deal. If you need time off, just let me know. We close at 2am. I could use you from ten to two," Thea said.

Buffy thought about a moment before nodding. "Okay. Sounds fun. I've never been a bouncer before," she said with a grin.

"You get to throw obnoxious drunks out on their asses. It's a fun gig," Thea said. "Can you start tonight?"

"Well, I sort of have a date and plans to meet a friend here later for drinks," Buffy said.

"Then tomorrow will be fine. Who's the lucky guy?" Thea asked.

"A very cute police officer who took our statement last night," Buffy shared, smiling at the memory of the adorable Officer Lance.

"Have fun. I'll look for you," Thea said.

Buffy left the club in bemusement. A bouncer? She didn't think Giles would approve! Thinking of Giles, she called him and filled him in on what had been happening with her in Starling City.

"So the girl has shown no signs that she is aware of her slayer powers?" Giles asked.

"So far no. I think if I work for her, I'll find out for sure. I don't think she's really been in a position where she had to use any extra strength. Every thing is pretty much handed to her. She hardly even opens her own doors," Buffy said with a snicker. "Faith would totally have a field day with her!"

"She's not drawn any supernatural elements to her yet? Have you encountered any vampires there?" Giles asked.

"No, not yet. The city is in such upheaval that the human criminal element is very active. I don't know if Thea's ever encountered any supernatural creatures. That's one of the things I hope to discover while working for her," Buffy said.

"Tread carefully. A girl such as she won't take this news well," Giles advised.

Buffy hung up the phone. She wasn't quite sure if Thea was as clueless as she appeared or not. However, she would find out.

*****_That Night*****_

Quentin still wasn't quite sure how he'd managed to get a date with an incredibly beautiful woman. However, it'd been too long since he'd had anything to look forward to, so he was getting ready when his doorbell rang.

He went to answer it. "Hey, Dad," Laurel said, smiling at him. She saw him dressed in nice clothes and frowned. "Oh, do you have plans? I thought we could grab dinner."

"Good to see you, sweetheart," he said. "But I can't tonight. How about tomorrow for lunch?"

"That'll work," she said. "So what's up?"

He walked back to the bathroom, knowing that she'd follow. "Your old dad here has a date," he said with a grin.

Laurel blinked in surprise. "A date? You?" she asked.

"Try not to seem so surprised!" he said.

"You actually asked someone out?" she asked in disbelief. Her dad hadn't dated at all since her parents' divorce.

"Well, no. She asked me," Quentin admitted with a rueful grin.

Immediately, Laurel was suspicious. "She asked you? Does she know you're a cop?" Laurel inquired.

Quentin laughed at his predictable daughter. "Yes. I was taking her statement at the time," he shared.

"You're going out with a criminal?" Laurel asked in outrage.

"Relax, honey. I'm not that desperate!" he said said as he combed his hair. "Buffy was a witness to an attempted mugging. Actually, she stopped the mugging. She's pretty amazing."

Laurel relaxed slightly. "Oh," she said. "Well, that's good. I hope you have a good time. I want to hear all about it tomorrow at lunch." She kissed her dad's cheek, trying not to worry about some bimbo named Buffy hurting the only family she had left. Her mom had disappeared not long after her sister died. He was all she had, and as much as they fought, she'd die to protect him.

"Okay. I'll pick you up," he said. She waved good-bye and let herself out.

A half hour later, he was with Buffy at the restaurant he'd chosen. "I hope you like Italian," Quentin said as he held her chair out.

"Who doesn't?" she replied with an easy smile.

She looked stunning in a short black sleeveless dress that hugged her perfect figure. When he'd first laid eyes on her, he was struck dumb. She laughed in pleasure at his reaction, taking it as a compliment. Now he found his voice again. "You are breathtaking," he finally told her.

"Thanks! It's been a while since I've had a reason to pull out my black dress. I don't bring many date appropriate clothes with me when I travel," Buffy admitted.

"Do you travel a lot?" Quentin asked.

Buffy nodded. Then she began to share as much of herself as she could. She'd gotten good at it over the years, talking without revealing too much. She'd discovered that if she had a ready smile and said a lot people rarely realized how much she actually said about herself. However, she'd not taken into account that Quentin was no one's fool. When their server cleared their dinner plates, Quentin gave her a penetrating look and asked, "Why do I get the feeling you're not telling me much at all?"

"I don't think everything should be shared during a first date. I might bore you," Buffy teased.

Quentin laughed. "I doubt that could ever happen. But I can respect keeping a few secrets. I won't go into any details about my ex-wife," he said. No need to tell her that he'd destroyed his marriage by drowning his sorrow in the bottom of a bottle. That would probably guarantee there wouldn't be a second date. As he gazed into her green eyes, he hoped very much there'd be another.

Buffy smiled, relieved. They spent the dinner enjoying the company of another person. Both spent too much time alone these days. Buffy had spent all of her life surrounded by friends. It was only since she hit her thirties that she'd been spending more and more time solo. Knowing, though, her friends and her sister were there whenever she needed them made it not so bad.

When dinner was over and they were walking to his car, Buffy reached out to take his hand. His surprised smile touched her. Buffy had a feeling that he'd not been with anyone since his wife left him. That fact made the moment all the sweeter. They walked hand in hand to his car.

*******_The Island*******_

Oliver Queen sat on a peak over looking the water and watched the sun rise. The beauty of it washed over him. For some reason, the sun on the island that he'd called home for five years seemed to burn brighter than back in Starling City. He knew it wasn't sun rise yet back home, but he looked at the brightening horizon and thought of his family. He thought of Diggle and Felicity. He felt their absence most keenly.

Oliver had traveled for a few weeks after he left Starling City. He was trying to out run the ghosts that seemed determined to break him. Eventually, he found himself back on the island he had escaped a year ago. He knew his willing presence on the island revealed just how broken he still was. However, this time he had resources. He had a satellite radio and arrangements made to easily get off the island. It was no longer a prison but a refuge.

He pulled out his cell phone. Obviously, it didn't work on the island, but he scrolled through his photos. He gazed at his mother and Thea. Guilt for leaving his sister to face everything alone ate at him. She deserved better than a brother like him. He knew John probably understood him better than anyone. He'd been through war. He'd lost people and been forced to kill to survive. It was why they worked so well together. John, though, still had his soul in tact. Oliver wasn't so sure he did. But John gave him hope that some day he'd be whole again.

The last photo he looked at was Felicity's. He had never expected someone like her. She was as different from any other woman as she could be. Maybe that's what drew him to her. There were no ghosts associated with her. When she looked at him, she only saw who he was now. She wasn't waiting for him to turn into his old self. His old friends and family couldn't get that. The old him was dead. He could never go back to the self-centered, care free, spoiled man he'd once been. Living for pleasure the way he'd once had was now so foreign to him that he didn't know some days how he pretended so well.

He scrolled to the one photo he had of him with both Felicity and Diggle. Carly had snapped it on Felicity's phone one day at lunch. Felicity had sent it to him. He had been struck by how unguarded he was in the photo. The photo revealed to him more than anything how close he'd allowed the two to get to him. He wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. People close to him had a bad habit of getting killed. They were better off without him. He put away the phone, pushing aside his regret.

_******Verdant*******_

Felicity walked into the club with Diggle at her side. The music was loud, but it wasn't ten yet. She knew the insanity would escalate in another hour or so. She looked for Buffy and spotted her at a corner table with Quentin. She grabbed Diggle's hand and pulled him toward Buffy and Quentin.

Buffy smiled when Felicity called out her name. She blinked in surprise at the very large and attractive black man by her side. He seemed like a very unlikely companion of Felicity's. He was even more imposing than her friend Robin Wood.

"Glad you could make it!" Buffy said. "I love your dress." Felicity had on a surprisingly sexy pink dress that hugged her petite figure.

"Yours, too," Felicity said. "This is my friend John Diggle. John this is Buffy. You know Quentin."

John shook her hand and nodded to Quentin.

"What is Oliver Queen's bodyguard doing with you?" Quentin asked suspiciously.

Felicity had, of course, prepared for the too observant man's question. "I'm friends with his girlfriend Carly. She had to work tonight, and she said I could borrow Dig so that I didn't feel like a third wheel," she explained, looking sheepish.

John couldn't help but grin. For a woman that was constantly sticking her foot in her mouth, she was surprisingly good at cover stories. Much more so than Oliver. The two sat down on the two open chairs at the table. Felicity sat next to Buffy. "So how was dinner?" she asked them.

"Great!" Buffy said, smiling at Quentin. She looked at John. "So you're a security guard?"

"I'm not sure security guard quite covers what Mr. Diggle is. He's been quite valuable to the Queen family. He's saved Oliver's life and my own daughter's at least once," Quentin said, smiling at the man he respected.

"Impressive," Buffy said. She looked at the way the man held himself. "Ex-military?"

John nodded. "Special Forces. I actually know a friend of yours," John said.

"Really?" Buffy asked in surprise. Then she smiled in realization. "You know Riley Finn?"

"Who's that?" Quentin asked.

"He was my T. A. in college. We dated for awhile," Buffy said. She laughed. "That was a life time ago. Back when Sunnydale still existed."

"It must suck having your home town destroyed," Felicity said in sympathy.

Buffy's eyes took on a hard glint. "Some towns are so evil in their core that total destruction is the only solution," she said.

Her words shocked her audience, who was still dealing with the horror of the Glades near destruction. "How can you say that?" Felicity asked in dismay. "Innocent always suffer when evil people die! That kind of talk is what Malcolm Merlyn believed when he tried to destroy the Glades."

Buffy waved her hand. "Oh, Sunnydale was basically deserted before the big quake hit. There were too many signs that it was coming. I promise it wasn't the same thing at all," she said. No use explaining that she had inadvertently caused the towns utter destruction when Spike had closed the hellmouth permanently.

"That's fortunate," Quentin said.

Buffy nodded. "So how's Riley doing?" she asked John. "I haven't talked to him in a few years."

"Good. He has two kids. He told me that most of his dealings with you are classified," John revealed.

Buffy had a lot of secrets, but she wasn't military. She felt no sense of loyalty to keeping their secrets. "He was a part of this joint civilian/military task force that did insane experiments on some of the more evil members of my town. Trying to modify evil behavior with microchips and stuff in their head. When Riley realized how handy I was in a fight, he recruited me. But his boss, Dr. Walsh, was a real whack job. She tried to kill me when I began asking too many questions. I had Riley asking questions. She'd even been doing experiments on Riley and his squad without their knowledge. Riley almost died himself."

John was shocked that she'd revealed so much classified information. "Should you be telling me that?" he asked.

Buffy shrugged, fire in her eyes when she thought of Adam, Maggie's Frankenstein like creation and the destruction he'd unleashed. "I'm not military. I have no loyalty to those people that created a monster that almost killed me and my friends. I'm sure they managed to cover up what they did. I didn't go to the press over it, but you don't strike me as someone that will go running with tales of government conspiracies," she said.

"No," he said. He examined the woman. She didn't make sense. She was beautiful but radiated this intensity and energy that was more than a little familiar to John. The hardness that momentarily came into her eyes when discussing the military had taken him by surprise. "I know how to keep secrets."

"Riley, though, loved the military enough to forgive and went back to them," Buffy said, unable to quite disguise the bitterness.

"A life of service can become who you are," John said knowingly.

"The military isn't the only way you can have a life of service," Buffy countered. She looked at Quentin and gave him a warm smile. "Quentin can testify to that."

Quentin returned her smile. "I hadn't thought of being a cop as that, but it does take a certain amount of dedication, especially now. The Glades have become so much worse since the quake," Quentin said.

"So how did you learn to be so valuable in a fight? Riley told me you'd put him on his ass more than once. And he's one of the most skilled operatives I've ever known," John said, examining her with curious eyes.

Buffy gave him an easy smile. "Guys always get suspicious when a girl is more capable than them," she said. "I'm gifted. What can I say?" She shrugged, as if used to the question and amused by it.

"I would like a drink," Felicity said, wanting to dispel the sudden tension John's questions had caused. "What are you drinking?"

"A martini," Buffy said.

"A beer," Quentin said.

"Dig and I will go get some drinks," Felicity said, getting up. John followed her to the bar. She turned to him. "What's with the suspicion?" she asked him with narrowed eyes.

"What?" he asked. "I was just getting to know your friend."

"Yeah, right. I know you, John. I know that look!" Felicity said in disapproval.

"My friend told me that your friend Buffy was trustworthy. He said he wouldn't want anyone else guarding his back. I don't get it. The woman is too small and weak looking to be someone that strong. It doesn't make sense. I sense trouble from her," John said.

"She saved my life. I know exactly how capable she is!" Felicity said. She waved at Roy, who was behind the bar. She gave him her drink order, and he refused her money when she tried to pay. Smiling her thanks, she turned back to John. "Maybe you're only used to macho men like Oliver that are good in a fight. But women are just as capable!"

"I didn't say they weren't. But women are not as physically strong as men as a rule. That's just a fact of biology. I've met women who were, though. I know they can be. But those women are usually close to six foot. Not nearly a foot shorter!" he said. "That's not normal!"

"So she's not normal. So what? Since when is that a crime?" Felicity said. "Please, don't scare her off. I like her."

John knew that he owed it to her and Oliver to watch out for Felicity, but he didn't want to upset her. "I'll behave," he said.

They went back to the table carrying drinks. After chatting for another ten minutes or so, Buffy pulled Quentin onto the dance floor.

Felicity grinned at the sight. Quentin obviously hadn't been dancing in a long time. He didn't quite know what to do with the too fast song playing. However, that didn't stop him from smiling at the sight of Buffy's obvious enjoyment of the song.

"They're cute together," she said observing them.

"She looks a lot younger," John observed.

"Quentin is not that old. He obviously became a father very young. He's still very attractive," Felicity observed. "Buffy is your age. I hope I look that good ten years or so from now."

"Do you want to dance?" John asked her, wanting her to have a good time. She deserved it.

Her eyes lit up and she jumped up. The two friends joined Buffy and Quentin on the dance floor. They were too busy having fun to notice that Laurel Lance had come into the club with two of her friends.

Laurel's friends had convinced her that she'd been working too hard since she'd began working for the D.A.'s office. They'd dragged her to Oliver and Tommy's club. Laurel hadn't wanted to come to the place that had one time been very important to Tommy. However, she was tired of moping at home alone, so she'd reluctantly gave in. They'd just ordered drinks when her friend Michelle said, "Isn't that your dad?"

Laurel looked and was more than a bit surprised to see her dad on the floor dancing with a very beautiful young looking blonde. "Oh my God!" she exclaimed. "What is he thinking?"

"That the woman is hot and it's been a long time since he's been laid!" her friend Cindy said with a snicker.

Laurel groaned. "Please stop! Not an image any daughter wants!" she complained.

"Face it, Laurel. Your dad is hot!" Michelle said. "Obviously that girl noticed."

Laurel had never seen her father dancing or looking so relaxed. She frowned, unsure how she felt. As they took their drinks to an open table, she kept watching. Eventually, she saw Buffy walk off the dance floor with another woman who looked familiar to Laurel. They were heading to the bathroom. Laurel decided she needed to meet this woman. She got up to follow them.

Buffy and Felicity were chatting as they entered the semi-dark hallway that led to the bathroom. When Buffy felt someone's hand reaching across her neck toward her shoulder, she just reacted on instinct. In a flash, she turned and had the person slammed against the wall by her throat.

Felicity gasped when she recognized the woman Buffy had pinned. "Oh, God! That's Laurel! Let her go!" she exclaimed.

Laurel's eyes were wide with fear as the much smaller woman released her and her feet were back on the ground. "How-how did you do that?" she asked in fright.

Buffy groaned. When was she going to learn to not always react? "I'm sorry," she mumbled. "You shouldn't sneak up on people!"

"I was just trying to tap your shoulder and get your attention before you entered the bathroom!" Laurel said in an outraged tone.

Felicity agreed that Buffy's reaction had been over the top. However, she'd been around Oliver too long to be as disturbed as Laurel. She recognized signs of someone who'd been in too many battles to react normally. However, Buffy's display of strength had taken her off guard. She'd had Laurel slightly off the ground. "Buffy's from a very violent town. She gets a bit paranoid," Felicity said, trying to explain her reaction. "Buffy, this is Laurel Lance, Quentin's daughter."

Buffy wanted to groan. Figures. "Oh God! I'm so sorry!" she said with a repentant wince.

"No harm, I guess," Laurel said, putting her hand on her throat. She walked into the bathroom to examine her neck in the mirror.

Buffy blanched. Not a way to make a good impression. She sighed. Oh, well. It wouldn't be the first time she scared off a guy.

"I don't know if you remember me, but I'm Felicity. I know your dad. I work for Oliver Queen," Felicity said.

"Oh, right. I knew you looked familiar," Laurel said. The mention of Oliver made her uncomfortable. She hadn't really been able to look at him at Tommy's funeral. Guilt for what they'd done the night before Tommy died haunted her. She knew sleeping with Oliver hadn't been cheating, but Tommy hadn't believed she loved him. Sleeping with Oliver only proved that. But she had loved Tommy. It was just her feelings for Oliver were such a confusing mess. She'd been relieved when he'd left town. Knowing she wasn't going to run into him around town had eased some of the tension she carried.

Felicity was smoothing out her hair, trying to figure out how to deal with this very awkward moment. However, Laurel looked at Buffy with a look that spoke volumes. "So why are you here with my dad? Isn't he a little old for you? You know he doesn't have any money," she shared.

Buffy couldn't help but laugh. Did she look like a gold digger? That was a new one. "I'm not as young as I look," she said. "Your dad was very kind to me. I'm new in town. I asked him to dinner. I'm not planning a wedding, so you can relax."

"My dad doesn't have any experience with women like you," Laurel said through narrowed eyes.

Buffy lost her smile. "I'm not sure what that's supposed to mean, but I'll let it slide since I inadvertently assaulted you. You don't know me. You love your dad. I can get the instinct that compels you to be protective," Buffy said. "But I mean your father no harm, so you don't have to worry. We just had dinner. We are having a nice time. I'm sorry for scaring you." She looked at Felicity. "Are you ready?" Felicity nodded and the two headed out of the bathroom.

Laurel decided to follow them to her father's table. Quentin was surprised to see his daughter, but he smiled warmly at her. "Laurel! I didn't know you were going to be here," he said, more than surprised that she'd come to Tommy's club.

"It wasn't my choice. Friends dragged me here. Imagine my surprise to see my father dancing on the dance floor," Laurel said, a note of disapproval in her voice.

Buffy sat down next to Quentin, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. "Laurel snuck up on my in the hall outside the restrooms. I sort of overreacted," Buffy said with a rueful half smile.

"Overreacted? That's an understatement! You had me by the throat against the wall!" Laurel exclaimed, her outrage coming back to her.

Quentin and John both showed their surprise as they looked back and forth between the two women.

"It's not a good idea to sneak up on someone you don't know," Buffy said coolly.

"Laurel's fine. Buffy apologized," Felicity said quickly. She glanced at John for help.

"I've done that a time or two myself. When I first came back from Afghanistan," John said. He examined Buffy closely. She wasn't ex-military, but her reaction spoke of someone that had been to war.

"You're a war vet?" Laurel asked Buffy.

"Not exactly, but I've been in more than a few battles," she said, her eyes revealing a glimmer of something they couldn't quite decipher. Her eyes held pain and lost. "I was fifteen the first time someone tried to kill me. It was one of many, many times."

Her revelation shocked her audience and served to silence Laurel's suspicions momentarily.

"That's awful!" Felicity exclaimed in sympathy. "No wonder you're so good at protecting yourself."

Laurel, though, couldn't quite shake her disapproval. "In my experience, people that are nearly killed or often the victim of violence bring it on themselves," she said with conviction.

Buffy sometimes wondered if she brought a lot of things onto herself. Just being the slayer drew violence to her. She'd accepted that a long time ago. However, she wasn't about to make excuses to a woman she didn't know. She shrugged. "I suppose that's true. I tend to always come back swinging. It pisses people off," she admitted. Her eyes held Laurel's unflinchingly.

Laurel finally looked away. The woman's eyes were much older than the rest of her. "Well, I should get back to my friends," she said. "I'll see you at lunch tomorrow, Dad."

"Have fun, sweetheart," Quentin said. He looked at Buffy. "I guess we can skip the awkward meet the daughter dinner."

Buffy laughed. "I think things can only improve from here."

"They couldn't get any worse!" Felicity added, shaking her head.

"Don't worry about Laurel. She's always a bit high strung," Quentin said. "She'll get over it." He tried not to think about dating a woman that could so easily pin his very capable daughter. At least he wouldn't have to worry about her walking alone in the Glades anymore.

A short time later, Thea Queen stopped at their table. She greeted John, who introduced her to Felicity. Thea had seen the woman a few times, but formal introductions had never taken place.

"Hi," Felicity said, smiling at her. It was strange. She knew everything there was to know about Thea, but she was a virtual stranger to Oliver's only sister.

"So you guys know my new bouncer?" Thea asked curiously, glancing at Buffy.

"What?" Felicity asked in surprise.

"Oh, yeah. I was in here earlier. Roy introduced me, and she offered me a job," Buffy said.

"Does that mean you're going to stay in town?" Quentin asked hopefully.

"For a while," Buffy replied.

Felicity smiled happily. "That's so great!" she said. "Buffy is amazing!"

"So I hear," Thea said with a friendly smile. "I'll see myself tomorrow. Drinks are on the house tonight. Enjoy yourselves."

"A bouncer?" John asked in bemusement.

Buffy grinned. "Yeah, I know. It's pretty funny, isn't it? But I've never been a bouncer before. She said she didn't care if I needed to travel for my other job. I thought it might be fun," she shared.

"Other job?" John asked. "What other job do you have?"

"I'm sort of a head hunter for this organization that's based in England," Buffy said vaguely. "I recruit potential clients. I'm here in Starling City, hoping to recruit someone."

John started to ask more questions but a look from Felicity silenced him, so he simply nodded.

Buffy sighed. John was too inquisitive. So was Quentin. Maybe this hadn't been such a good idea after all.

******_Chapter end******_

_I'd really love it if you took a moment to review! Thanks!_


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Learning to Fight

********_A Week Later*******_

Buffy had a mostly uneventful week after her date with Quentin. She'd went to the movies once with Felicity, Thea, and Roy and had coffee once with Quentin. It was hard for her to keep him at a distance, but she didn't want to constantly lie to an obviously honest man. Her job as a bouncer was surprisingly fun. She got to listen to the music and escort overly boisterous guests to the door. Most gave her very little trouble—mainly because they were too busy hitting on her.

The more time she spent with Thea, the more she liked her. She wasn't a stern boss, but she was no one's fool. The only hint of slayer strength she'd detected was her lifting large boxes of alcohol, but normally her boyfriend took them from her before she could get very far. Roy seemed to be a stand up guy. He was from the Glades and seemed very affected by the growing violence and devastation in his neighborhood. Buffy had overheard them arguing more than once about Roy's insistence in stopping crime he encountered. Thea had already told her about his desire to save a bunch of people on a bus the night the earthquake hit. When Buffy had inquired on whether or not she'd wanted to lend a hand, Thea had looked surprised. The idea honestly had never occurred to the woman. She did end up assisting with getting the people out of the bus, but Buffy could tell she only did so to help her boyfriend.

Her behavior wasn't very slayer-like. Most slayers instinctively threw themselves into battle. Roy had the instincts of a slayer—at least when it came to wanting to help others. He had told Buffy about his encounter with the Hood and how he wanted to make a difference like the vigilante. His earnest desire to help when he was entirely out of his depth reminded Buffy so much of Xander that she warmed to him instantly. However, she knew she'd have to keep an eye on him or he'd get himself hurt.

This desire to keep him safe was what prompt her to follow him outside the backdoor of the bar one day after the club had closed. He made it two blocks away before he decided to stop some guys from breaking into a car. Buffy stood back in the shadows and watched as he enthusiastically took on the three guys. He wasn't overly skilled but could take a hit. At first, he was holding his own. Then one of the guys pinned his arms, so the others could hit him. That's when Buffy stepped out of the shadows.

"Three against one. That's not very nice," she said.

The guys looked up. So did Roy. He glared at her. "I got this!" he exclaimed.

"Yeah, I can see that," Buffy said, flashing him a grin. "How about I lend you a hand?" She stepped up to one of the guys, who immediately tried to grab her.

Roy watched as his girlfriend's new bouncer effortlessly dispatched two of the guys. He turned and hit the other hard. The guy went down. "I told you I was fine!" he said, giving her a disgruntled look.

She took out her phone to dial 9-1-1.

"What are you doing?" Roy asked.

"Calling the cops," Buffy said.

Roy reached and tried to grab her phone. She stepped back and squelched his second grab with a look. He backed off but didn't give up. "Don't call the cops! They'll just bring trouble for both of us!" he insisted.

Buffy frowned but dialed another number. Roy opened his mouth again to protest. She held up her hand for silence. "Quentin, are you on duty? I caught some guys beating up Roy, who caught them breaking into a car," Buffy said. "The corner of third and Wabash...Yes, I'm fine...Yes...Okay..." She hung up the phone. "Quentin is just around the corner. He'll be here in a minute."

"Cops always bring trouble," Roy said in annoyance.

"Well, this is a human problem. Cops deal with human criminals," Buffy said with a shrug.

Roy frowned in confusion. "What other kinds of criminals are there besides humans?" he asked.

Buffy winked at him. "Oh, you'd be surprised," she said. She knew Giles would definitely not approve of her getting involved in human concerns like this. However, Starling City was coming apart at the seams. Was she supposed to stand back and do nothing? Roy was barely a man and felt compelled to risk his life to try and help the people in this city. Buffy was more capable than he was. How could she not do something?

Quentin appeared with another cop. He increased his pace when he spotted them. He glanced at Buffy in concern. "Are you okay?" he asked. He shined his flash light along her face and down her body, checking for injuries.

"I'm fine, too," Roy couldn't resist announcing. The flashlight shined on him.

"I take it the guys were using Harper for a punching bag?" Quentin asked, gesturing to the guys that were starting to get up. The other cop began reading them their rights. Quentin bent down and grabbed the closest one, hauling him to his feet.

"Yep," Buffy said.

"I saw them breaking into that car," Roy said, pointing to the car.

"And you just had to play hero?" Quentin said sourly. "You're going to get yourself killed!"

"Well, someone's got to do something! The city has not increased patrols since the quake even though crime has skyrocketed!" Roy said angrily.

"We lost over a dozen good cops in the quake. Guys that aren't easy to replace!" Quentin said harshly. "The department is doing the best that it can!"

"Hey, it's okay. No one's blaming you," Buffy said easily.

"Speak for yourself," Roy said, still glaring at Quentin.

"Be nice before I regret helping you," Buffy warned, giving him a hard look.

Roy looked sullen but didn't say anything.

Quentin reached and grabbed Buffy's hand and pulled her a short distance away from Roy. He looked at her in concern. "Are you sure you're okay?" he asked.

Buffy found his worry sweet and smiled at him warmly. "I'm fine. I really do know how to take care of myself," she assured him.

He sighed in resignation, running a hand down his face in frustration. "It's not your job to police this city. It's mine. I know you're capable, but the more you get involved in the crime in this city, the greater your chances of getting hurt," he said.

Buffy leaned up and kissed his cheek. "You're very sweet. I'll be careful. But I'm not going to walk by and let someone be hurt, especially if it's someone I know," she said.

"Maybe you can at least use your influence to talk some sense into the kid? He clearly doesn't have your skill set," Quentin said, giving Roy a disapproving frown.

"That I will gladly do," Buffy said, smiling. "Can I take him back to his girlfriend? Thea will be giving him a stern tongue latching, I know!"

"Yes," he said. He wanted to ask her out again, but there was no privacy. Instead, he said, "Have a good night."

"You, too," she said. She grabbed Roy's arm and steered him in the direction of the club.

When they were a block down the street, Roy stopped and faced her. "How do you do that?" he asked.

"I have twenty years experience fighting off very bad guys. Leave it to the professionals," she said. She grabbed his arm again and tugged him down the street.

"Will you teach me to fight like that?" he asked hopefully.

"I'll think about it," she said. A short time later, she left him with Thea, who wasted no time in scolding him while hugging him tight. Buffy slipped away before Thea could focus that energy on her. As she walked back to her place, trying to think of a way to deal with both Thea and Roy.

*****_Three Days Later*****_

Felicity was down in the foundry working on a new program when Diggle came in.

"Felicity, how's the program coming along?" he asked.

"Good. If Oliver accesses his trust, I'll have his location," she said with satisfaction. She and John had decided that they needed to know where to find Oliver. They'd only heard from him the one time since he'd left. Felicity was worried. John wasn't really, but he agreed that it was a good idea that they knew were Oliver was.

"Spent any more time with your new friend Buffy?" Diggle asked, curious.

"We went to the movies last week with Thea and Roy," she said. "I could tell that Roy wanted to ask me a lot of questions about Oliver. He must've figured out I was helping him."

"What did he say?" Diggle wondered.

"Nothing. We were never alone," she said. "We probably should have a talk with him soon. I'm afraid he might say something to Thea."

"Yes, that's the last thing we need," John agreed.

"Well, the club isn't in full swing yet. I'll go upstairs and see if I can talk to him," Felicity said.

"Don't let Thea see you come from down here. I'm not sure how we'd explain this place," Diggle said.

"It's a good thing Oliver put that key lock in place. So far she hasn't shown any interest in exploring the basement," Felicity remarked. "Let's hope that doesn't change."

"It probably won't if she doesn't see you coming out that particular door!" Diggle said meaningfully.

"Don't worry. I'll go around," Felicity said. She grabbed her purse. "I'll call you later." She got up and walked to the side exit.

It was barely seven, so the club was not full. She went to the bartender and asked where Roy was. He pointed upstairs. "He's with the boss."

Felicity thanked him and made her way upstairs to the manager's office. As she approached, she could hear Roy arguing with Thea.

"Why are you being like this?" Roy asked. "You don't want me to get hurt. Buffy says she'll teach me how to fight better."

"I don't want you fighting at all!" Thea said adamantly.

"It's not my fault the Glades have collapsed! I live here, Thea. Maybe you're okay with walking down the street and ignoring the hurting, but I'm not built that way!" he exclaimed in irritation. "Oh, wait. I forgot you don't walk anywhere. You have your own driver!"

Felicity decided that she should make her presence known before things got worse. She knocked on the door.

"Come in," Thea said, still glaring at Roy.

"Sorry, to interrupt," Felicity said.

"It's fine. You stopped Roy from being a bigger jackass than he already is," Thea said crossly.

Roy sighed. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean that. You just make me crazy!" He walked over to her and reached out and took her hand.

"Is it so wrong of me to not want you to be hurt? I lost my father. I lost my brother for five years. He came back to me, but he's not the same. His body is covered in scars. Violence changes a person," she said quietly.

Felicity blinked in surprise at her words. She'd never heard Thea acknowledge what Oliver went through. She hadn't been aware Thea really knew much. Then again the changes in Oliver were too severe for anyone close to him to not notice.

"It won't change me. Oliver was a victim. I'm not going to be. I want to help people," Roy said with conviction.

Thea looked at her boyfriend. She loved that he was so brave and selfless, but she was terrified of losing another person she loved. Tommy's death was too fresh. "Why don't you ask John to train you? He was like in the army or something. He's saved Laurel's life and Oliver's more than once," Thea suggested.

"He was Special Forces," Felicity couldn't help adding.

"Well, I've not seen him in action. I've seen Buffy. She's incredible. It's like she's not even a woman," Roy said.

His comments had both women glaring at him. Wincing, he quickly said, "Sorry!"

"Diggle is downstairs. Roy and I will talk to him. It's better that he know how to protect himself, don't you think?" Felicity said to Thea.

Thea sighed in resignation. "I suppose."

"And Buffy's amazing. I'm telling you. We should have her come over your place since you have all that space tomorrow. Your ballroom has a lot of open space," Roy pointed out. "Or the gym."

"Fine. Tomorrow morning," Thea said, giving in.

Roy grinned happily and kissed her before following Felicity out the door. As they walked down the stairs, Felicity said, "So I wanted to talk to you about Oliver's secret you discovered."

Roy looked surprised and then grinned eagerly. "Really? I have like a million questions!" Roy said.

"Do you think you can take a break before it gets too busy?" Felicity asked.

"Sure. Let me tell the bartender," Roy said. He walked over and said a few words to the guy. Then he made it back to her side. "I'm good to go. I got a half hour."

"Let's go to some place quieter. My car is out back," Felicity said. She decided they should just go down to Big Belly Burger and grab a quick bite to eat while they talked. After they placed their order, Roy wasted no time asking his questions.

"So when's Oliver coming back? Do you think he'll let me be a part of his team?" Roy asked excitedly.

"I honestly can't speak of that. Oliver was pretty upset when he left. He came to this city with a goal. He wanted to stop some bad guys on this list his dad gave him. He felt he owed it to his dad because his dad was a willing participant in what Merlyn had planned. Like his mom, his dad wanted out too late. Merlyn had the Gambit sabotaged," Felicity shared.

Roy shook his head in disgust. "Rich people are messed up," he said.

"Says the guy who's been arrested more than once for petty larceny," Felicity pointed out with a grin.

Roy gave her a sheepish grin. "So how did you get involved with Oliver?" he asked.

Felicity filled him in on how she became a part of the team. He listened without interrupting.

"I'm working on locating Oliver so that we can track him down if a need arrives. Dig and I want to make sure you don't go telling Thea what you know," Felicity said. "Thea has enough to deal with right now. I'm not sure how she'd handle knowing her brother was the vigilante."

Roy shook his head. "I'm not sure how _I _can handle the truth about Oliver," he remarked. "It's hard to wrap your mind around. He's got this entire facade that is really just a mask. Thea has no idea who her brother is."

"The brother she knew is still there. He's just different," Felicity insisted. "He doesn't want his family or Laurel to know know who he is. When Tommy found out, he called him a murderer. When Tommy died, they weren't exactly friends again. I think that hurt him the most, knowing Tommy died before he forgave Oliver. It made things worse when Oliver had to lie to Tommy before he died. Tommy asked him if he'd killed his dad. Oliver told him no."

Roy grimaced. "Man, that blows!" Roy said with sympathy. "I hadn't really thought about how hard it might've been for him. Before I knew his secret, I just thought he was a giant asshole. He looks through me. Or like I'm not good enough for Thea."

"No man would be good enough for Thea," Felicity said with a knowing smile. "He loves her more than anyone."

Roy chuckled. "You're probably right," he said. "It's easier now that I know. I get that it's not really me. The guy's just got a lot on his mind."

They food arrived, so they spent a few minutes eating in silence. Finally, Felicity asked, "So are you serious about having Buffy and Digs train you?"

Roy nodded. "I was hoping I could get the Hood, but since he turned out to be Thea's brother and skipped town, I guess they'll have to do," he said with a grin.

"Well, Digs is amazing. Who do you think trains with Oliver?" Felicity said.

"Yeah, I know. I saw them training at Thea's house. They looked like they were trying to kill each other!"

"They're pretty intense," Felicity said in agreement. "I'll call Buffy and see if she wants to join you tomorrow. What time?"

"How about eleven?" Roy asked. "You're going to come, too, right?"

"I have to work," Felicity said.

For some reason Roy really wanted her there. She was so easy to be with. She wasn't intimidating at all. "Don't you have, like, sick leave or something?" he asked.

Felicity considered it a moment. She did have a lot of personal days that she had accrued. "I'll see what I can do," she said without committing. She smiled at Roy's relieved expression.

******_The Next Day******_

Buffy had been pleasantly surprised to get the invitation directly from Thea about working with Roy at her house the next morning. She'd already decided that she was going to use Roy's desire to learn as a way to bring Thea into the training. Buffy figured since it was Thea's house it would be easy enough to get Thea to join them. She rode her bike up to the Queen mansion. She would've been more impressed if she hadn't spent so much time in Europe in various compounds the Watcher's Council owned. After gaining entrance through the gate, she parked the bike and got out. She was pleased to see Felicity's eco-friendly car parked out front already. Buffy decided she may as well get her new friend to learn some self-defense.

Thea opened the door. "Hey, thanks for doing this," she said as Buffy entered.

"No problem. Nice place," Buffy said as she looked around.

"Yeah, it's a bit much since I'm the only one here these days. Most of the time I just stay at Roy's," Thea said with a grimace.

"So you might want to change shoes," Buffy said, looking down at Thea's feet.

"Why?" Thea asked in confusion.

"Because those sandals aren't good to fight in," Buffy said.

"Ah, I don't plan on fighting. That's Roy," Thea said.

Roy and Diggle appeared with Felicity. "Hi!" Felicity called out with a warm smile.

"I'm glad you're here. I was telling Thea her shoes aren't right for this," Buffy said.

"And I was telling Buffy how I'm not the one learning how to fight," Thea said, puzzled.

"Listen, the Glades are not safe these days. You have a club in the middle of a bad neighborhood. I know you have your own security, but I'm sure he'd agree it's a good idea that you learn some self-defense," Buffy said. She looked at Felicity. "Both of you."

Felicity looked surprised. "I'm not one for the violence," she said weakly.

"No one is until the violence makes you a victim," Buffy said grimly.

"Digs has taught me some basic moves. Remember, I used a few on that guy the night we met?" Felicity reminded her.

"I don't think that's nearly enough. Not for this town." She looked at Felicity with a somber expression. "My best friend Willow in high school was exactly like you. A genius that was good with computers, not so good with people or saying the right thing. The first week I met her a cute guy tried to kill her. By the time she graduated from high school, she learned to fight enough to defend herself. I want the same for you."

"Man, your high school doesn't sound like a fun place," Felicity said.

"It was hell," Buffy said grimly. She'd talked to Riley about Diggle and knew that he was a man who could be trusted. Buffy wasn't ready to reveal her own identity, but she knew that Diggle would support her in this.

"I think it's a good idea," John said, nodding. "You both should know how to protect yourself. It's something I should've brought up myself." He'd mentioned it once to Oliver, but Oliver hadn't wanted any excuse to put Felicity in the field. He thought if they kept her defenseless she'd be less likely to risk herself in the field. With Oliver gone, John figured it was past time he did what he thought was best for Felicity.

Felicity looked at Thea and shrugged. "I'm game if you are," she said.

"Well, okay," she said reluctantly.

Buffy wasn't sure how much of her strength she wanted to reveal to them. However, she needed to test Thea. This would be as good a chance as any.

John was looking forward to seeing for himself what exactly Buffy Summers was capable of. He knew Riley was not prone to exaggeration, but he still couldn't see such a slight woman being much of a threat to someone his size with his training.

After Thea changed her shoes, she led them to the gym where a few mats were placed. Buffy let John run the show and watched as he demonstrated stance and basic weak points. When he used Buffy to demonstrate a choke hold, she recalled the time in her high school gym where the gym coach did the same thing. She'd accidentally on purpose had thrown the annoying guy who tried to get a bit too friendly with her. The memory made her smile.

"So how would you get out of that, Buffy, if a guy came up to you from behind?" Felicity asked, her eyes alight with mischief. She was eager to see how her new friend dealt with someone as skilled as John.

Buffy easily demonstrated how to twist out of the hold without using her superstrength to throw him.

Roy grew bored with the girly self-defense lesson. "Come on! I want to see what you guys can do!" he challenged.

Buffy gave John a questioning look. He smiled. "Well, I guess we can spar. If Riley says you can handle yourself, I'll try not to go too easy on you," John said.

"I'll try not to embarrass you too badly," Buffy said with a sweet smile.

The girls laughed. They watched as John and Buffy took positions facing one another. Buffy faced the much larger man and decided to demonstrate what a person with superior speed could do. Felicity didn't have the strength that Buffy or Thea had, but if she learned to move quickly, she would always be able to protect herself. Or at least increase the odds.

John moved in and engaged Buffy. She ducked when he threw a punch. She dodged when he kicked out. She demonstrated remarkable flexibility and balance each time he tried to make contact. However, John kept missing.

"You don't have to be the strongest person if you can move faster than your attacker," Buffy said after she dodged yet another blow from John.

John was both exasperated and amused by her catlike abilities. She motioned for Roy.

"I noticed the other day that you are quick. Let's see if we can improve your odds of deflecting John's attack," she said.

John wasn't quite sure how the woman became the coach, but it was soon very obvious to them that Roy was not her first student nor was this the first time she'd instructed others how to fight. His interest in her was piqued even more. He had ran her name and found no military service records. At least not officially.

Within an hour, Buffy had all three of them learning to dodge and deflect. John had been surprised to see that Oliver's sister seemed to possess a natural ability to avoid a hit. He knew her brother would've been both amused and impressed.

"What about strength? I saw you. I know you are more than light on your feet," Roy said stubbornly. "I want to see what you can do."

"Why don't we save that for next time? I'm sure the girls have work to get to," Buffy said.

Felicity grinned. "I took a personal day," she shared.

"My assistant manager is opening up today," Thea added, flashing her a grin.

"Fine," Buffy said in resignation. She and John faced one another again. This time Buffy didn't waste any time. She allowed him to trade blows, parrying and blocking. Then she ended the fight with her signature roundhouse kick. The force of it knocked John off his feet.

Her audience was momentarily stunned. Then they started clapping.

"Girl's got game!" Roy said excitedly.

"Does anyone else feel like they want to go burn a bra?" Thea said proudly.

Buffy reached down and helped up John and looked at Thea. "What I did, you can do. I promise you," she said to her. Thea's slayer instincts were there. Buffy just needed to bring them out more.

Thea, though, just laughed and shook her head. "Yeah, well, I'd rather not have to exert myself so hard," she said.

John wasn't quite sure what had happened. He'd trained furiously with Oliver nearly every day. He wasn't out of practice or out of shape. Yet this very slight woman had managed to totally defeat him without breaking a nail or a sweat. The mystery of Buffy Summers grew even more confusing.

******_Chapter End******_

_I'd love to hear from you! Please review! Thanks for reading and following!_


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: To Slay or not to Slay

*****_The Island*****_

Even in sleep Oliver could find no peace. This new nightmare started reoccurring a week ago. Actually, it was the same nightmare he'd had since the quake, but now it had changed. He was no longer simply reliving the horrible night Tommy died. Instead, it was all his fears combined in one torturous dreamscape. It always began on the rooftop with him fighting Tommy's dad.

Merlyn taunts him right before he stabs Oliver and kills Diggle. He makes a point of keeping Oliver alive just so he can watch Diggle die.

After Merlyn leaves Oliver with Diggle's dead body, he makes it to Laurel's work and instead of Tommy dying in the rubble, it's Laurel.

"Ollie, where were you? Why didn't you come for me?" she would ask him before breathing her last.

Utterly defeated, he makes his way back to his club, to Felicity. In his dream, he keeps thinking if only he can get to her, he'll be okay. She will remain unchanged. She will look at him with those eyes that never fail to show her faith in him. In her eyes, he is a hero. Each time he dreams the dream, it never occurs to him that Felicity would be injured. In real life, she was always left safely behind while he and Dig went on the missions. For some reason in the dream, he always expects that to remain the same. He is always shocked when it is not. In his dream, Lance is there in the foundry next to Felicity's broken body. Lance had already dug up the pieces of the building that had killed Oliver's favorite IT girl. Each time he dreams it, she's already dead. He is too late to save her. Once again he failed someone he cared about.

Each time, Lance looks up with that accusing glance. "Where were you Oliver? You've led another innocent woman to her death!"

Oliver collapses to his knees in defeat only to be called back by his sister's faint voice coming from upstairs. He works his way through the rubble and finds Roy with his sister in his arms.

"Ollie!" she calls out faintly. He runs to her.

"Where were you? You could've saved her! You're the Hood! You're supposed to save everyone!" Roy screams at him. Oliver ignores Roy and takes his sister into his arms. She must be injured internally because she's coughing up blood.

"Thea, I'm so sorry!" he cries to her.

Her hand raises up and barely caresses his face before falling weakly to the ground. She gives him a faint smile. "I love you, Ollie. Always," she whispers before dying in his arms. There is no condemnation in her gaze, only love. Her unwavering love only serves to increase his pain and guilt.

It's her death each time that brings him awake.

Oliver sat up in bed, breathing heavily. The damn dream was going to be his undoing. All his worse fears in one horrible nightmare. Only his mother was left out. Reaching for his water bottle, he took a long drink.

Oliver was unsure if going home would end his nightmare or not. He knew it was wrong to leave his sister so long. He'd been gone nearly two months. However, each time he moved to pick up his satellite phone and make arrangements to go home, he could never complete the call. The thought of facing his family and friends, facing the destruction his failure left behind stayed his hand.

He knew his friends. Oliver and Felicity would expect him to keep fighting. They believed in him. What would he do when they, too, lost their faith in him? What would he do when they looked at him the way Tommy did?

******_Starling City******_

Buffy had spent the past week working with Roy and Thea. Sometimes Felicity was able to join them, sometimes not. The glaring difference between Thea and Felicity was made more obvious each time. Buffy had kept thinking Diggle and Felicity would began to wonder why Thea was picking things up so quickly. She couldn't know that both weren't very surprised that Oliver's sister would have some of his natural talents for fighting. In some way, they both felt like a piece of Oliver was back with them. Buffy figured she should get Felicity to do some early morning running with her and build up her stamina. She knew that as a slayer Thea really didn't need to exercise to be in shape.

Buffy was patrolling the city after her shift like she'd been doing nightly. She kept looking for vampires. It had been apparent after a week in Starling City that there was no hellmouth there. Since her arrival, she hadn't encountered one demon or supernatural creature. Normally, though, a slayer's presence seemed to draw supernatural forces to them. Buffy didn't know if the city simply had no vampires or if she'd just failed to discover them. What she did come across once was a woman in black leather wearing a mask. The woman had long blonde hair. She was fighting some men that had cornered a woman. Buffy saw the woman crying and clutching her clothes as she ran off. When the masked woman saw Buffy approach, she knocked out one of the guys and took off. Buffy couldn't help but wonder if she was another slayer Willow had yet to identify. Buffy made a mental note to give Willow a call and have her check.

She was a block away from her hotel when a voice called out from the alley adjacent to her block.

"Slayer!" the angry voice cried out.

Surprised, she turned. She walked toward the mouth of the alley. There were three vampires facing her. Buffy grinned. "I was wondering when you boys were going to show up. It's been awhile since I've had a good slay!" she told them.

"We heard the oldest slayer was in Starling City. I already bagged us one slayer. She was a tasty morsel. I figure you will taste even better!" the biggest vampire said.

Buffy blanched. "You killed Alex? She was my friend!" Buffy stepped into the alley and pulled out her stake. Since her slayers worked in groups, it was rare for any to be killed these days. However, Alex had been young and inexperienced when she'd been cornered in New Orleans by a group of vampires Kennedy had been pursuing. She'd had Alex and two other new slayers as back up. It had ended in Alex being killed before Kennedy had slayed the vampires. This guy must have gotten away.

She moved in to dust the three vamps. They surrounded her, but it wouldn't matter. The first one lunged, and she moved to the side, easily staking him. The one who first spoke sneered at her. He attacked. Buffy pressed forward, engaging the vamp. He was more skilled than his friend and dodged her hit. They engaged furious blows. Buffy wanted to hurt him badly before dusting him. He deserved no less. She landed several punishing blows to his face and torso. Then the other vamp came at Buffy from behind, wrapping his arm around her throat. She head butted him and kicked the first vamp hard in the stomach, knocking him back.

Quentin was patrolling his normal beat and couldn't resist taking the street that took him down Buffy's way. He was a half a block away when he heard sounds of fighting coming from the alley. He picked up his pace to investigate. When he saw Buffy fighting off two guys, he stepped into the alley.

"Buffy!" he called out. He shouldn't have because he distracted her. One of the guys hit her hard across the face when her attention turned toward Quentin. He ran toward her to help. When he got closer, he saw that the guys were deformed or something. They growled malevolently at him.

With Quentin's arrival, Buffy knew she had to end the fight before he got hurt. She knew it would be shocking for Quentin to witness, but she hoped he'd deal. Quentin grabbed one of the vampires and pulled him off of her. The vampire hit Quentin, and he went flying. Buffy charged the vampire and staked him. Quentin got up just in time to see the vamp turn to dust. His eyes widened in horror and disbelief. Buffy had no time to explain because the biggest one grabbed her from behind and pinned her arms behind her. His teeth grazed her neck.

"Not going to happen!" Buffy exclaimed in annoyance. She gave him a hard jab to his stomach, flinging him away from her. Then she moved quickly to stake him before he could recover his footing. When he was dusted, she took a breath and faced Quentin.

"Are you okay?" she asked as she approached him. He looked a bit shell-shocked.

"What was that?" he gasped.

"A vampire. They are real, and I am a vampire slayer. I have super strength and fast healing," she shared.

Quentin gaped at her. Before he could respond, his radio went off. He got a call from dispatch. As he answered it, he kept his eyes locked onto hers.

"I gotta go," he told her, frowning. "Can I come see you tomorrow?"

Buffy nodded. "Why don't you let me buy you lunch? It's the least I can do. I'll explain more," she said.

Quentin's mind was racing with too many things. "I want to walk you to your hotel. It's on my way," he said.

"Okay," she said. They walked out of the alley and the half block to her hotel. She stopped and faced him.

"I thought you were special," he said, shaking his head. "Now I know you're extraordinary." He looked at her in awe a moment before walking away.

"Well," Buffy thought. "At least he didn't run screaming."

*****_*The Next Day******_

Quentin met Buffy after a restless few hours of sleep. He didn't know how to come to terms with what he both saw and what she told him. He knew that there was evil the world. However, vampires seemed a bit far-fetched.

When he saw Buffy sitting in the booth sipping a soft drink, he paused to look at her. She was so beautiful. It was hard to believe she was closer to forty than thirty. It was even harder to believe she was so incredibly capable in a fight. He slowly walked toward her and sat down across from her.

Buffy smiled at Quentin. "I'm glad you weren't too freaked to come," she remarked.

"Well, I'm freaked. But I'm curious, too," he said with a sheepish smile. He gave his order to the server that came up. Buffy added hers.

"So," Buffy said, not knowing where to start.

"So. You're a vampire slayer. Tell me what exactly that means," Quentin said.

For the next half hour Buffy talked. She had decided that she may as well tell him why she was really in town, too, and what kind of thing a slayer faced. Quentin listened with rapt attention.

When Buffy finally stopped in order to eat her chicken Caesar salad, Quentin spoke.

"So you fight demons, monster, vampires, all the things I've always believed were just myths. You've been doing so since you were fifteen. You've kept the world from ending a dozen times or so. You've died twice—once for several months. You were the only slayer until you died for a few minutes as a teen—drowned by a master vampire. That created the first ever two slayers. You and Faith were the only two until your best friend, an incredibly powerful witch, changed the rules with her magic. And your sister used to be some mystical key that monks magically fashioned out of your blood for you to protect. Now you spend your time recruiting newly called slayers. Thea Queen, the spoiled heiress of the now notorious Moira Queen, is the reason you're in town?" Quentin stated, trying to keep it all straight.

"That about sums it up," she said, giving him an apologetic half smile.

Quentin threw down his fork. "That's the most insane thing I've ever heard!" he said in disbelief.

"Yes, I know. So is men turning to dust when I stake them in their heart with a piece of wood," she reminded him. "Yet it happened right in front of you just last night."

Quentin said nothing. He just sat there in silence for several minutes. Finally, he said, "Well, I'll be damned." He shook his head. The whole world had been turned upside down.

*****_*The Next Day*****_

Buffy had decided that since Quentin now knew the truth she had to tell Thea. She got to the club early before anyone else was there. Well, Roy was there. He was never far from Thea.

"I need to talk to you, Thea," she said in a serious tone Thea hadn't heard before.

Thea frowned. "Okay," she said as she put down the bottles of liquor she was inventorying. Buffy sat on the bar stool. Thea came around and sat down next to her. Roy was taking the chairs off the tables. Buffy didn't feel inclined to include him in the conversation.

"The reason I'm really in Starling City is you. I came to see if you'd like to join my team of slayers," Buffy said bluntly.

"What? Slayers? What do you mean?" Thea asked confused.

"Have you ever noticed since you turned fifteen or sixteen that you had more energy? You rarely got tired. You could go forever without sleep? That you never get sick? You heal incredibly fast?" Buffy asked.

Thea blinked in surprise. "Well, I've got good genes," she said as if that explained it.

"No one has that good of genes," Buffy said dismissively. "You are like me. You are a vampire slayer. We are infused with supernatural strength and abilities that allow us to defeat the forces of evil. I've been killing vampires and demons since I was fifteen. It's your calling, too."

Thea looked at her a moment before bursting out into laughter. "You almost had me going there for a minute, Buffy!"

Buffy didn't crack a smile. "I'm not kidding," she said, her voice deadly serious.

Thea realized she wasn't joking and got off the stool and took a step back from Buffy. "You are out of your mind!" Her outcry caught Roy's attention, and he stopped to see what was going on.

Buffy got off the stool and faced her. "You need to hear me. You are part of an elite and incredible group of women. You have a sacred duty as a slayer," Buffy said, wincing as she realized how much she sounded like her beloved Watcher Giles.

Thea favored her with the superior, dismissive glance she'd perfected at a young age. One she had learned from her mother. "Get out. Now!" she ordered, turning toward the exit and pointing. Buffy reached for her shoulder to pull her back toward her. Thea found herself suddenly and inexplicably angry. She turned and slugged Buffy in the face.

Thea's eyes widened in dismay at what she'd done. Roy quickly stepped forward, and Thea opened her mouth to apologize. However, Buffy returned her hit with one of her own, figuring that there was one sure fire way of convincing Thea. She flashed Thea a smug, daring look.

Thea had never been hit in her entire life. Nor had she ever slugged anyone before now. None of that seemed to matter because Buffy's hard hit to the face had her ears ringing and served to enrage her. She stepped forward and returned Buffy's hit. Buffy didn't dodge it but took it on the chin.

"Is that all you got?" Buffy challenged.

"Girls, what's going on?" Roy asked, trying to step between them.

Both girls looked at him and said, "Stay out of this, Roy!" He jumped back at their threatening looks. He didn't know what to do as the two woman started fighting. Then he recalled Thea's bodyguard, who normally stationed himself outside the club in the early part of the day.

He ran outside and waved to get John's attention. John quickly followed him back into the club. When they saw the two girls going at it, both were stunned. Thea was displaying fighting skills neither knew she possessed. She easily surpassed Roy and didn't seem to want to back down from Buffy one bit.

John knew he needed to protect Thea, but Buffy didn't seem intent on hurting her, so he was unsure.

"Stop this!" Roy said harshly. He didn't know what was going on, but he knew that Buffy could easily hurt his girlfriend. He'd never forgive himself if he stood back and allowed that. How would he explain this to Oliver?

John stepped forward. "Girls, stop it!" he called out loudly.

"I'm trying to teach her Highness a lesson," Buffy said with a smirk. "She doesn't believe me. Look at her now."

Thea wasn't sure what had come over her, but Buffy's words and her taunting had made her so angry. She just wanted to knock the smug look off of the older woman's face. She found her body moving in a way she didn't realize she knew. Some of the things she was doing she recognized from her few lessons with Buffy and Diggle. However, her lack of fear unnerved her. Although she'd never been in a fight in her life, she now couldn't seem to stop trying to hit Buffy.

Buffy finally stepped back. "Now you see," she said confidently.

"I see you're insane!" Thea yelled as she lunged for Buffy, determined to beat her somehow. This time, however, Buffy dodged and then kicked out, her foot connecting hard with Thea's knee, which caused her to cry out in pain and collapse. Roy charged Buffy in defense of his girlfriend. Buffy slugged him hard, knocking him down. She looked at John, raising an inquisitive eyebrow. "Do you want to go a round?" she asked him.

John held up his hands in surrender. "What the hell is going on?" he demanded.

"I was simply trying to explain to Thea that she has a supernatural destiny. That has been endowed with slayer reflexes, speed, strength, and healing abilities," Buffy announced. "She didn't believe me. I think now she might." She glanced pointedly at Thea, who was glaring up at her rubbing her dislocated knee. Buffy didn't bother saying more to him. She looked at Thea. "Think about it. I'll be back tomorrow."

The three of them watched her walk away. Roy went to his girlfriend. "Are you okay?" he asked, reaching out his hand to help her up. She was limping.

"I'm okay. Buffy is insane!" Thea announced crossly. Roy helped her to a chair and pulled up her knit pants to examine her knee.

Diggle looked at it. "It's dislocated. We need to get you to a hospital," Diggle said. He looked at Roy. "Go get her a bag of ice." Roy got up to do so.

Thea thought about what Buffy said. "Can you pop it back?" she asked him.

"That'd hurt a lot," Diggle said. "You need to be under anesthetics."

Thea looked grim as she ordered, "Do it."

John wasn't sure what exactly was going on, but he detected steely resolve in Thea that he had never seen before. A resolve he'd only ever seen in her brother. "Brace yourself," he said. He reached out and quickly popped the knee back into place." Thea cried out as Roy reappeared.

"What the hell, man?" Roy demanded. He shoved John away and placed the ice on herr knee.

"It's okay, Roy. I told him to," Thea said.

"Why don't you tell me why you and Buffy were fighting?" John asked.

Thea wasn't sure how to explain what had just happened, but she tried her best.

Roy couldn't quit laughing after she stopped her story. "What? You're a superhero now? Buffy is already one? A demon slayer? That's rich!" he exclaimed.

"Vampire slayer," Thea automatically corrected.

John remained silent. His mind shifting through rumors and stories he'd heard about government experiments. He thought about Riley's remarks, and Buffy's obscure comments about her time with Riley.

"I told her she was insane," Thea said, disgruntled.

"How did you learn to fight like that?" John asked pointedly. "What were you thinking?"

Thea looked at him and shook her head. "I don't know. She just made me so angry. I hit her. Before I could apologize, she hit me back. Then it was like something came over me. No one has ever hit me before. Not like that. I just hit her again. Then it was like I knew how to move. It was instinctive. I'm not sure how to explain it," she said bemused.

Roy frowned. "You were pretty amazing," he remarked. He'd been so focused on the possibility that she was about to get hurt that it hadn't really registered that she was holding her own quite easily against Buffy.

Diggle reached down and took off the ice bag and examined her knee. "It seems to not be swelling. Can you straighten out your leg?" he inquired.

Thea did so. "It feels okay," she said cautiously. She put her foot on the ground and tried to put weight on it. She couldn't believe that she only felt a twinge. "It's good. I don't believe it." Buffy had mentioned supernatural healing abilities as one of the slayer perks. Thea frowned down at her knee. Could she have been telling Thea the truth?

She looked up at her boyfriend, who was looking confused and surprised. John thought over what Thea has revealed. He thought about what he knew and what he'd witnessed. Finally, he said, "Well, I can't say that I've ever seen any vampires. But I've known some unusually evil men. I know Buffy has an incredible reputation amongst the best of the best. I can't explain it. Her explanation doesn't fit into what we know of the world. However, what we just saw Thea do doesn't either. Her knee was dislocated a half hour ago and now it's fine. I don't know what to think really, but I think you might want to have another serious talk with Buffy Summers," John advised.

*****_To Be Continued*****_

_I hope the big reveal wasn't disappointing. More soon! I appreciate those of you who've decided to follow this story. I especially love your reviews! Thanks!_


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Evolving

_*****The Next Day*****_

John had called Riley after the fight between Thea and Buffy. He had asked Riley if what Buffy had claimed was possible. He wasn't overly surprised when Riley confirmed it. He explained how Buffy's hometown had been located on a hellmouth. Then he explained what a hellmouth was—a place of mystical energy that drew all kinds of supernatural elements, a doorway of sorts to hell. The supernatural elements always sought to open the door and wreak hell on earth. Literally. Buffy and her friends had stopped several apocalypses before permanently closing the hellmouth. John had been surprised to learn that the earthquake that destroyed her town was her basically closing the hellmouth permanently. The events of the Glades were too fresh for John to be okay with that. Riley told him that she hadn't realized her weapon to stop the vampire hordes that were rising would result in turning her town into a giant crater.

After talking to Riley, John had more questions than ever. How did Thea fit into this? What would Oliver say or do if he found out someone was trying to pull Thea into something that was obviously risky? John knew one thing for sure. He had a responsibility to protect Thea no matter what. He met Felicity for breakfast the next day. John believed she deserved to know what was happening with her new friend. Felicity was more than a little shocked.

"This is a joke, right?" Felicity asked in disbelief. Her scientific mind was having problems believing his tale.

"Nope. It is not. I had my own Special Forces buddy confirm that she is a slayer. She has supernatural strength, fighting reflexes, and healing. She used to be the only one. Now things are changed. Now she's saying that Thea is one, too," John said.

"Oliver won't be happy about this. He didn't risk his life for a year as the Hood so that his sister could turn around and become some supernatural superhero that fights demons and vampires," Felicity said with a worried frown. "Fighting criminals the way you and he do is risky enough."

"Yeah, I know. We need to tell him, but we still don't know where he's at," John pointed out.

"He's not touched his funds since I set up the trace. It's like he's disappeared off the face of the earth," she mused.

John looked speculative. Then a thought occurred to him. "He did disappear once. Maybe he went back," John said.

"That'd be crazy! Why would he return to that place of torture?" Felicity asked, shaking her head.

"A lot of war vets re-enlist and go back to war because it's what they know. They can no longer function in the world they left behind," John explained. "Maybe Oliver went back to the place where everything made sense to him. Kill or be killed. We both know he wasn't alone on that island. Not for all of the time anyway."

Felicity nodded in agreement, her mind racing. "We'll need to retrace his steps. I hadn't done that yet because I respected that he needed time. But it's been over two months. We can't sit back and watch Thea get involved in something without him knowing she's at risk. He'd hate himself even more if she got hurt and he wasn't there," Felicity said. Neither said what they both were thinking. He might not forgive them if something happened to her, and they hadn't told him.

"Call Buffy and have her meet us at the club at noon. I'll tell Thea. We have much to discuss with her," Diggle said.

Felicity nodded. "Okay," she said. She was a bit disappointed that her new friend came by her skills supernaturally. Felicity had secretly hoped that maybe if she worked hard she could be like Buffy. She wanted to be strong and capable. She didn't want to be a liability for Oliver. She wanted to be more than just a tech girl. Felicity sighed as she said goodbye and headed to work. It was time for her to face reality. Some people were born to be heroes. Others—people like her—were born to help them.

******_Verdant******_

Buffy arrived at the club with Quentin. Since he had witnessed her slaying a vampire, she figured he deserved to be there. Besides, she kind of liked him. Maybe a lot. Smiling at him, she pushed through the front door and found Thea, Roy, John, and Felicity hanging out at the bar. John and Felicity were sitting at a table by the bar while Roy and Thea were sitting on some stools.

"So that gang's all here?" Buffy said, looking at everyone.

"Why is he here?" Roy asked suspiciously, eying Quentin with distrust. He would never trust a cop.

"Because I wanted him to be here," Buffy said firmly. "And he saw me dust a vamp the other day, so I filled him in on the whole slayer thing." She sat down in a chair next to Felicity. Quentin took the other chair.

"You saw her kill a vampire?" Felicity asked Quentin excitedly. "Did it really turn to dust?"

"Yes, it did," he said simply, shaking his head.

"They were the first vampires I've seen since I came to town. With Thea and myself both here, however, it was only a matter of time," Buffy said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" John asked.

"Slayers draw vampires. We're like supernatural magnets," Buffy said. She looked at Thea in contemplation and frowned. "I'm not sure how it is that she's been active for two years and been so clueless. How could you not tell you had super strength?"

Thea looked annoyed. "How would I know this? It's not like I go around beating up guys!" she said defensively.

"Yes, but haven't you shook someone's hand and squeezed too hard or opened a jar and accidentally broke it? Broken a door opening it? That kind of thing?" Buffy asked. She remembered when she first got her powers. She went from being a semi-talented cheerleader to an apparent klutz.

Thea curled her nose. "I don't shake hands. And why in the world would I open my own jars?" she asked as if the idea had never occurred to her before.

Roy snickered. "Thea's a princess, remember? She doesn't do much for herself," Roy remarked, giving her a fond look

Instead of taking offense, Thea patted his cheek. "That's why I have you, sweetie!" she informed him.

John chuckled and shook his head. It was true that he spent much of his time opening doors for Thea.

"You've never encountered anyone that seemed to view you aggressively or tried to pick a fight or even someone that tried to get you alone in a dark alley?" Buffy asked. All slayers encountered vampires. It was unheard of to come across one that had not. It wasn't natural.

"As if!" Thea said with a sniff. "I'm not sure the kind of places you like to hang out at, but I don't go into dark alleys, and everyone loves me!"

"Thea doesn't spend much time with anyone that isn't a close personal friend," John said. "If that held true in high school, then it would stand to reason she would rarely be alone."

"Yeah, she probably doesn't frequent graveyards," Buffy remarked. No point in telling them exactly how much of her free time was spent hanging out in them.

"Not at night," Thea said. "I visit my dad's grave sometimes, but only in day time."

"Well, that was wise on your part. If you were less popular or liked to be alone more, chances were you'd have a much different story," Buffy said.

"I'm still having trouble believing this," Thea said. "How can I be a vampire slayer? How can vampires be real?"

"I have a lot to tell you," Buffy said. "It may take some time to tell it all." She laid out the situation for Thea and everyone, explaining the origins of slayers and how and why things were changed. Quentin had heard it all before, but his mind had so much trouble processing it that he was glad to have a second go at it.

The group listened in silence. All of them in various stages of disbelief. When Buffy fell silent, Thea jumped to her feet, a look of panic in her eyes. "There is no way in hell I'm joining your slayer club! I will not be running around looking for vampires to stake!" Thea insisted. "My city is falling a part in case you haven't noticed. My family _has_ fallen a part. I don't have the time or energy to focus on anything else!"

Buffy nodded. "Yes, I know your life is complicated. But that doesn't change the fact that you need to be trained. If not to slay vampires, for your own safety and those around you. You could accidentally hurt someone. It's a miracle you haven't already!" Buffy remarked. Buffy had decided to not pressure Thea. Getting her trained would be the first step. Giles had agreed with her plan when she talked to him on the phone the night before.

"What do you propose?" John asked.

"That she train with me like she has been but more focused. She needs to know what she's capable of," Buffy said. She looked at Thea and rose to her feet. "Being a slayer comes with tremendous responsibility. You aren't like other girls. Maybe you've always felt that because of your family's wealth and connections. But now it's different. Your life will never be the same."

Thea looked at Buffy, trying to come to terms with what she was saying. It wasn't that she disbelieved Buffy's words. She wasn't quite sure what to think exactly. A part of her did like knowing she had these abilities Buffy spoke of. It would ensure that she would never be a victim; she would never be completely powerless. She had spent so much time the last six years feeling exactly that way.

"My life hasn't been the same for months now. It wasn't the same after my dad's ship went down, taking him and my brother. I'm not sure about this slayer business, but I'll deal," Thea said. "Somehow."

Buffy nodded, not surprised by her response. "Good. Let's get started," Buffy said.

******_Two Weeks Later******_

Felicity was down in basement of the club. She had finally locked on Oliver's location. Her fist went up in the air. "Yes!" she exclaimed. She called Diggle. "John. I found him! I know where he's at!"

"I'll be there soon," John said, hanging up.

Felicity was glad she'd finally managed to do something useful. She'd felt pretty useless the past few weeks. She spent hours watching Buffy train with Thea. Not even discovering Thea was nearly as good with a bow and arrow as Oliver served to make her happy these days. At first it was fun seeing Thea began to blossom into this incredible fighter. It was also a bit disturbing. It was like the girl she was disappeared more every day. Felicity couldn't help but regret that Oliver was missing out on seeing his sister evolve. She wasn't sure how Oliver would take it, but Felicity knew it was going to hurt him more to see his sister so changed in his absence.

She also couldn't help but feel a little left out. Buffy was so focused on Thea that she really didn't seem to remember Felicity. There was no way Felicity could keep up with the level of training the two women were doing. Roy tried valiantly. However, he didn't have the super-healing or reflexes. More and more John was working with Roy while Buffy worked with Thea. Felicity was the odd man out. When it had been just her, Dig, and Oliver working on the list, she had never felt like a third wheel. She had known what she was doing was important and vital. She had known, too, that Oliver needed her. These days it didn't seem like anyone really did.

*****_The Next Day*****_

Buffy was getting ready for a date with Quentin. They'd had coffee and lunch a few times since their last date, but they'd not gone out at night. She'd even went out shopping for a new dress since she only had the one black dress. This one was a deep purple with a plunging neckline. Buffy had decided that she'd been celibate long enough. She and Quentin were both responsible adults. There was no reason why they couldn't skip the flowers and candy stage of their relationship. Buffy was long past the time when she wanted or needed to be wooed.

Even though she had that thought in her head when she was getting ready, she was still deeply touched when Quentin arrived with a dozen roses.

"Wow! That's so sweet!" Buffy gushed. She kissed his cheek. Turning, she looked for a place to put the flowers then realized she didn't have a vase. She grinned when she saw her 64oz soda mug. "I guess this will have to do." She went to the sink, dumping the cup and rinsing it out. She put the flowers in it. "I will have to buy a vase."

"I should've bought the ones with a vase," Quentin said apologetically.

"Hey, roses are expensive enough. I know cops don't get paid nearly enough anyway. I can mange a vase!" she said, smiling at him. After grabbing her wrap and purse, they left her room.

"So how long are you going to live in this hell hole?" Quentin asked as they walked to his car.

"It's not so bad," she said. When he stopped and looked at her incredulously, she laughed. "Okay, so maybe it is."

Quentin laughed as he opened her car door. He walked around to the other side and got in. "So maybe you should look for an apartment," he suggested as he started his car. "Since the earthquake, there's been a lot of vacancies. I'm sure you can find a short-term lease somewhere."

Buffy knew he had a point. There was no reason why she had to stay in a hotel that her mother—if she were still alive—would be horrified to see her in. "You're probably right. It might be nice to have a home again," she admitted.

Quentin looked surprised. "You don't have a home now?" he asked.

"Well, I had a place in New York for awhile when I dated my ex. But mostly my home is where ever my sister and Giles are. Since they're both in England, that's a long way away," she shared. "I've been mostly drifting ever since I stepped down as head slayer."

"I'd love to know that you weren't going to just drift out of my life," Quentin said, giving her a meaningful look. He reached over and linked his hand with hers. Their eyes locked in a long moment before he started the car and drove to the restaurant he'd chosen.

As he helped her out of the car, he said, "By the way, you look absolutely stunning in that dress. I know every man who sees you will envy me."

Buffy smiled warmly at the compliment and leaned up to kiss him. They'd never kissed before. Their first kiss was warm and sweet—just the way she wanted it to be. She pulled back before it turned into anything more.

Quentin had trouble believing that a woman like her wanted to be with a man like him, but he was grateful nevertheless.

After a dinner they both enjoyed, Quentin was going to take her to an intimate club that played music you could enjoy without having your ears rung. However, Buffy reached out and took his hand. "Why don't you take me home?" she suggested.

At first Quentin thought she was unhappy and wanted to end the date. When he frowned, Buffy realized he'd misunderstood. She leaned up and gave him a light kiss before saying, "I was thinking we could have more fun at my hell hole of an apartment." She gave him a heated glance, and he finally realized her meaning.

He chuckled softly. "Well, if you're sure, I'm happy to oblige," he said as he opened his car door for her. When they arrived at her hotel, she unlocked her door, and he followed her inside, locking the door behind him. He removed his jacket and sidearm (he didn't go anywhere without these days). Then he pulled her into his arms and kissed her the way he'd wanted to all night. Buffy's arms went around his neck as she returned his kiss. Being with him felt so easy, so natural. Almost like it was their thousandth time together instead of the first.

Normally, sex with her and a guy was fast, hard, and heated. When she tried to move it that way with him, he ran a gentle hand down her cheek, traveling down her bare arm until he reached for her hand. He lifted it slowly and dropped a kiss into her open palm. "What's your hurry? We have all night. I want to savor every moment. You're not a woman a guy should rush through," he said. Then he gave her a slow, wet kiss that served to touch her deep inside.

That's how he made love to her. Slowly, almost reverently. Every touch was sweet, every kiss gentle and mesmerizing. Buffy became lost in the spell he seemed to be weaving with his every move. When he moved inside of her for the first time, her eyes opened as she gasped. Her eyes sought his, and they moved together. Over the years, Buffy had started to treat sex the way Faith did. A way to release all the pent up energy she carried. Sometimes she forgot that it was supposed to be so much more than an exchange of fluids and energies. She rarely let herself feel so connected to whomever she was having sex with. Yet Quentin wouldn't let her hide in familiar moves and habits. He pulled out of her every drop of emotion she'd normally quench. Too many heartbreaks and disappointments had left their mark on her soul. However, none of that seemed to matter. Only the here and now with him seemed to register. His touch seemed to eclipse all others. She could focus on nothing else but how he was making her feel.

When he collapsed against her, causing her to cry out his name as her orgasm washed over her, he gave her a soft kiss. Then he moved to the side, cocooning her with his warmth. Buffy felt tears leak out of her eyes as he spooned her.

"You are so incredible," he whispered in her ear. He dropped a kiss on the nape of her neck and sighed in tired pleasure. It'd been too long for him, but he'd been determined to make it good for her.

"You're not so bad yourself," she said softly. Then she turned in his arms and gazed at him. "I'm not sure I expected that."

Her admittance surprised him. "What did you expect?" he wondered.

She shrugged, not ready to share how empty her life had seemed to become lately. She looked away from him.

Quentin wasn't quite sure how to take her silence. He started to disengage. "I guess I should get going," he said reluctantly.

When Buffy felt him pull away, she looked up at him. "Please, don't," she said. She wasn't ready to say more, but she also wasn't ready for him to leave.

"You want me to stay?" he asked.

She nodded and kissed him. "Please," she said quietly.

He smiled at her, and she felt the warmth of it move through her. She turned back around, so he could wrap his arms back around her. As she drifted off to sleep, she couldn't help but think about how she'd found so much more in Starling City than a slayer.

******_Chapter End*******_

_Oliver will be back in the next chapter. I hope you enjoyed this update. Thanks for reading, following, and reviewing!_


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Time to Come Home

Buffy woke up Sunday morning full of energy. Her date with Quentin had been so perfect Friday night. It'd been a long time since she'd awoke in a man's arms. They'd went out for breakfast after making love one more time. He was spending some time with Laurel today. She'd been fragile since her boyfriend had died in the quake. Laurel hadn't struck Buffy as fragile, but she liked that Quentin cared so much for his daughter. She decided to go see Felicity. She had been so busy with Thea's training that she had yet to start Felicity on her jogging routine. She ran up the steps to Felicity's apartment. Having seen her car out front, Buffy knew she was home, so she rang the bell.

Felicity tried to ignore the doorbell, but it was incessant. She hadn't fallen asleep until almost dawn. Grabbing her glasses, she squinted at the time. She'd been asleep for exactly three hours. Groaning, she drug herself out of the bed. When she looked in the peep hole and saw Buffy standing outside her door, she stepped back in surprise. She hesitated a moment before opening the door.

"Is everything okay?" Felicity asked, figuring something must be wrong.

"Yep!" Buffy said, her energy so high it was a bit overwhelming. Felicity instinctively took a step back. Buffy stepped through the door. "I was hoping I could get you to go running with me. I think it'd be good for you to start building up your stamina."

If Felicity hadn't been so tired, she would've held her tongue. But she'd been spending so much time focused on coming up with a plan to bring Oliver home that she'd had very little sleep the past few days. "So suddenly you're concerned about my stamina? I guess Thea was busy, huh?" She walked to her kitchen to start some coffee, not really caring if Buffy followed her not. She had thought Buffy was her friend. Predictably, she'd found someone cooler to spend time. Felicity couldn't really blame her. Thea was pretty spectacular these days. Having been charmed thoroughly by the other Queen, she wasn't too surprised. It wasn't the first time she wasn't first choice. It probably wouldn't be the last.

Buffy winced as she realized her neglect of her new friend had hurt her. "Hey, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to ignore you," Buffy said, following her into her kitchen.

"Yeah, I know you didn't. It's okay," Felicity said as she started the coffee. "Do you want some coffee?"

"Probably not. I'm pretty juiced already," Buffy said.

"Already coffee'd up, huh?"

"Nope. Not a drop. I don't really need it. I like it, but some mornings I wake up with more than enough energy," Buffy shared with a sheepish smile.

"Must be nice," Felicity grumbled. "I'm not really up for a jog. I've gotten very little sleep the past few days. I'm working on a project for work that's taking up most of my time. It might lead me out of town for a few days."

"Oh," Buffy said, disappointed. "Well, could I at least take you to breakfast? I am really sorry for being such a lousy friend."

Felicity, never one to stay mad at a friend for long, smiled. "Okay. Let me get dressed," she said.

A short time later, they were grabbing breakfast. Felicity laughed as Buffy ordered, bacon, eggs, hash browns, toast, and pancakes. "You'll definitely need to run after eating all that!" she remarked.

Buffy gave her a smug smile. "Well, slayers have a really high metabolism. I'm always hungry, and I burn off just about everything I eat," she admitted.

Felicity gave a snort. "Figures," she said with a sigh. "Beautiful, deadly, super powers, _and _you never gain an ounce! I think I officially hate you!"

Buffy laughed. "Does that mean we can't engage in some girl talk? I really want to talk to someone about my weekend!" she said eagerly.

"Sure. Spill," Felicity said as she bit into her Eggs Benedict.

Buffy began to tell her about her hot night with Laurel's dad. Felicity choked on her coffee when Buffy described his skills in the bedroom.

Coughing, Felicity gasped, "I don't need a play-by-play! I respect the man too much!"

"So do I," Buffy said with a naughty smile. "Even more so now!"

Felicity laughed. "You are bad!" she exclaimed, chuckling. Her phone beeped. Felicity pulled it out. It was from Digs. _Where are you?_ She quickly typed in a reply. _At the diner across from my apartments having breakfast with Buffy. You should join._

"Is everything okay?"

"Yea, that was John. I told him he should join us," Felicity said, putting down her phone.

Buffy gave her a curious look. "So what's the deal with you and John? You said he was dating your friend Carla? Why do I feel there's more to it than that?" she prodded.

Felicity didn't like lying to her friends. Oliver did it so much with his family and friends, but Felicity had never really had anyone in her life she had to lie to about what she did with Oliver and John. "Well, to be honest, Oliver Queen told him to keep an eye on me when he left town. John was Oliver's bodyguard. He left after his best friend died in the quake. Oliver and I are friends. He's a bit overprotective since people he cares about end up dying," she explained. She decided that some partial truth was okay.

"Look at you, charming the billionaire with your bad self!" Buffy said with a cheeky grin.

Felicity looked shocked at her words. "Ah, Oliver and I are_ just _friends! I'd never be his type. He goes for leggy models or girls like Laurel Lance. Not nerdy IT girls that never know the right thing to say. I mean I'm a good friend and don't mind fixing his computer—that's how we met. He came to me to help with a laptop. Walter, his stepdad, likes me. I help him sometimes, too. But Oliver and I are only friends!" she babbled.

Buffy laughed. "Relax! I was just teasing! I'm sure a guy like Oliver comes with way too much baggage anyway. Five years on a deserted island. All those mysterious scars and broken bones. No telling what happened to him over there," Buffy said.

Felicity frowned. "How do you know about his scars?" she asked, immediately suspicious. She may like Buffy, even trust her. However, her loyalty to Oliver was deeply rooted. No one was above suspicion when it came to protecting him and his identity.

"Willow, my best friend, is a hacker like you. We found out everything there was to know about the Queens before I came here. She hacked into his medical files," Buffy said.

"I doubt you know everything," Felicity mumbled. Before Buffy could inquire what she meant, John interrupted.

"Ladies. Sorry to barge in," he said.

Felicity smiled. "Have a seat. Join us," Felicity offered.

"Sorry. Can't. We have to go," John said, giving her a look.

"We do?" Felicity asked. Her eyes widened when she realized what he was referring to.

"That breakthrough at headquarters came through," John said. He gave Buffy an apologetic look. "I have to accompany her out of town for a few days."

"Oh?" Buffy asked. "Where to?"

"Central City. Her project designers have hit a snag," John fabricated.

"You can reach me by email if anything comes up," Felicity said.

"You'll watch out for Thea? Keep her out of trouble?" John said.

"Don't worry. She'll be fine," Buffy assured him.

Felicity reached for her wallet, but Buffy grabbed her hand. "I got this. I owe you. We'll have that run when you get back," Buffy said.

Felicity smiled her thanks. "Sure. Thanks," she said. She grabbed her bag and followed John out of the diner.

"Arrangements have been made. It's time to bring Oliver home," John said as he opened the car door parked out front.

Felicity got into the car. "Good," she said, glad to finally be doing something again.

******_Hours Later******_

Oliver went to the cliff overlooking the water to watch the sun set. It was still an hour off, but he loved the view. A noise from above, though, disturbed his tranquility. He looked up. It was a plane. Frowning, he watched it fly overhead. He hadn't ordered a supply drop. He grabbed his binoculars from his bag. The clouds were thick today. He couldn't see much. Soon, however, he saw a parachute open. A lone figure made its way to the beach below. His eyes widened in surprise and alarm as he realized the figure wasn't alone.

He couldn't believe it. Diggle and Felicity were on his island. He gazed at them through the binoculars. He watched as Felicity lost her lunch on the beach. He couldn't make out what she was saying to Digs, but he could imagine. She was terrified of heights. Oliver couldn't believe she'd jumped out of a plane.

Concerned for what might've compelled her to such lengths had him quickly making his way down to them. His island had too many things that could hurt them. Frowning, he thought of all the ways Felicity could be hurt here. What was Diggle thinking, bringing her to this place? She was completely out of her element. Worry for her safety compelled him downward. He dropped down in front of them right before they stepped into the woods.

"Oliver!" Felicity gasped, startled by his sudden appearance.

"What are you guys doing here?" he asked more sharply than he intended. Diggle gave him a disapproving look at his tone, so he amended. "I mean, it's good to see you, but why did you come?"

"Are you okay?" Felicity asked, ignoring his question, her eyes traveling over him as if checking for injuries.

"I'm fine. Why are you here?" he asked again.

Felicity frowned at him. "You've been gone for over two months, Oliver. I just jumped out of an airplane and that's all I get?" she asked, incredulous.

Warmth entered his eyes as he gazed down at her. She always managed to both chide him and encourage him at the same time. It was a rare gift. "I'm sorry. I missed you both," he said, smiling at her. She stepped forward to hug him. He returned her hug and reached out his hand to Diggle.

"Glad you're okay, Oliver. Believe me, I wouldn't have come if it wasn't important," John told him.

Felicity gazed up at him, stepping back. "It's Thea, Oliver. We had to tell you what was going on. Since you don't call or answer emails, we were driven to extremes," Felicity said, giving him a chiding look.

Alarm and dread filled Oliver. "Is she okay?" he asked, bracing himself for the blow. Of course, he'd lose her, too—the only woman whose love for him hadn't been destroyed, who still saw him through rose colored glasses. He looked at Felicity. Well, she may not be the only one.

"Thea is fine," John assured him. "It's more complicated than that. Is there some place we can go to talk?"

"Sure. But Thea's not hurt?" he asked.

"No, she's not hurt," John told him.

Oliver let out a relieved breath and gestured for his friends to follow him. "Be careful. Only step where I step. The island is booby-trapped," Oliver advised as he led them to the hollowed out airplane that had one time been his home.

John and Felicity looked around with interest. "Is this where you stayed at when you were here?" Felicity inquired.

"Sometimes," he said. He handed Felicity and John a bottle of water. "So what's going on with Thea?"

"You better sit down for this," John said grimly. Oliver frowned but sat down and listened.

He listened, but he didn't believe. Laughter escaped. Felicity and John exchanged looks. "He's gone around the bend!" Felicity said. She couldn't remember the last time she'd heard Oliver laugh. Had she _ever_ heard him laugh? His mirth now, though, was upsetting. This wasn't a laughing matter. He'd finally cracked.

Chuckling, Oliver said, "No, I haven't! But this is the most preposterous thing I've ever heard! My sister, Thea, a _vampire_ slayer? The girl who can't even kill her own spiders? That's hilarious! I'm not surprised that you believe it, Felicity. You have a romantic heart. You love heroes and movies with strong women in them. But you, John? How could you buy into this?"

Felicity gave him an offended look. "I am _not _that easy to be misled! We know what we saw!" Felicity insisted.

"She's right, Oliver. We wouldn't have come if it was just a con job. This Buffy Summers is the real deal. I've talked to one of my Special Forces buddies who knew her intimately. Most of the stuff surrounding her is classified, but Riley knows her. He confirmed what she said. He wouldn't lie to me," John said.

"Thea is not the sister you left behind," Felicity told him. "You should see what she can do. She is amazing! She's like you!"

Oliver didn't know what to think. However, he realized that whatever was happening was not good for his sister. Either this woman had completely fooled his sister and friends or the woman was making his sister a target for things Oliver wasn't sure he believed in. "I'm not going to let Thea get drawn into something that could get her killed!" he vowed, getting to his feet.

Felicity stood. "So you believe us?"

"I'm not sure what to think, but you're right. It's time for me to come home," Oliver announced. He picked up his satellite phone to make the call.

_******Chapter End******_


	8. Chapter 8

**Sorry if you may have been disappointed that I changed up Felicity/Oliver's reunion on the island. The episode on the show was too perfect. I didn't really think I could add much to it, so I just changed it completely! I know most of us are really disgusted with Sara and Oliver right now after last week's episode, but Sara is now appearing in my story with this chapter. I can't imagine that she and Buffy will hit it off. I hope you like this chapter!**

Chapter 8: Surprise

_******Starling City******_

Buffy was patrolling on her night off from the club. Thea and Roy were working. Felicity was out of town still, and she was feeling wired. Way too much energy to work off. Quentin was working tonight. She'd texted him to let him know what she was doing. Buffy figured she'd run into him eventually. Grinning, she wondered if she could convince him to slip into an alley for some unprofessional fun times. She remembered the time Spike, her vampire ex-lover, had taken up against the outside wall of her work. Very hot.

She heard a faint scream, which told her it was a few blocks away. Running, she headed in the direction of the noise. When she was a few yards away from a dark alley, she heard signs of fighting. Increasing her speed, she flew down the remaining yards into the mouth of the alley. Her eyes saw a young dark-haired girl with ripped clothes struggling with a man while another man was fighting with the blonde women in leather Buffy had glimpsed before. It wasn't much of a fight as the masked woman was beating the man with punishing blows. The girl had skill.

Buffy quickly moved to the guy holding the girl. It was obvious the masked woman had stopped an attempted rape. The girl being held had really short dark hair and wore a black leather jacket. Buffy pulled the guy off of her.

"Looks like you bit off more than you can chew," Buffy said to the guy before she slugged him so hard he was knocked out cold. Still not used to hitting humans, Buffy winced as she looked down at the man's unconscious form. She pulled out her phone and sent Quentin a quick text. Then she glanced up at the girl. "Are you okay?"

"I think so," the girl said, her hand going to the blood dripping from her lip. Buffy ripped off the end of t-shirt and gave it to the girl. "Thanks." The girl eyed Buffy with wariness.

Buffy frowned, not liking the evidence of dark suspicion in the girl's eyes. This was a girl who had seen too much. She turned to the other woman, her eyes widening in alarm. The woman was using her staff to hit the attacker. Buffy could tell the guy was barely conscious. "Hey! Stop! He's done!" Buffy yelled.

The woman ignored her, hitting the guy until he went completely limp. Not even his unconscious state slowed the woman's blows. Buffy realized if she didn't intervene the woman would kill the would-be rapist. Never having been in this position before, she hesitated a second. However, her mission was clear. Human life was too precious to be wasted. It wasn't her place to bring justice to criminals. Not that way anyway. She moved up to the woman and caught the staff just as it was about to pierce the man. Buffy glared at the woman. "You are going too far! The police will arrest him. Back off!" she ordered, her eyes flashing angrily.

The masked woman sneered at Buffy. "Rapists do _not _get to live!" she said. She jerked quickly and pulled her staff out of Buffy's hands.

"That's not your place to decide. Stopping a crime is one thing. But you don't have the right to murder him in cold blood," Buffy said firmly.

"Kill the bastard!" the victimized girl said. She'd been a victim one too many times. Never had she had the power or skill to fight back. This woman did. Sin wanted to see the men die who had hurt her, who were planning on hurting her more.

Buffy glared at the girl. "Not going to happen!" she exclaimed.

"You think you can stop me?" the masked woman said with sneer.

"Yes, I know I can," Buffy said confidently.

The woman swung her staff at Buffy's head; she ducked quickly and stepped back from the unconscious man, forcing the other woman to do the same. She pushed forward, trying to hit Buffy. Buffy kept dodging. Then she reached out and grabbed the staff instead of blocking when the woman tried again to hit Buffy. Unprepared for that, the woman didn't brace herself when Buffy pulled hard, claiming the staff. She glared at the masked woman and then proceeded to effortlessly break the staff. "I get that you have skill, and you want to protect women. But so do I. And I won't allow you to murder a man right in front of me." She tossed the now useless staff away.

Before the masked woman could attack again, a voice interrupted. "Buffy!"

Buffy glanced back and saw Quentin hurrying toward her. "My boyfriend will arrest them, so back off!" Buffy ordered, getting a secret thrill at referring to Quentin as her boyfriend for the first time.

The masked woman saw the approaching cop. Her eyes widened as she recognized her father. She glanced quickly back at the woman who'd stopped her from killing the rapist, her mind whirling. Then in a blink, she disappeared. She was nowhere near ready to be so close to her father. Nor did she know how to deal with the fact that her father had a new woman in his life. One that was _not _her mother. One that could effortlessly stand up to Sara. Sara grimaced as she realized the woman had been entirely too unafraid. Who was she? Frowning, she tried to wrap her mind around the new developments as she distanced herself from the scene.

"Are you okay?" Quentin asked, casting his eyes over Buffy. She smiled and nodded.

"These two guys were attempting to rape this girl. That woman who ran off like some kind of ninja freak stopped them," Buffy said. "She was about to kill one of them, and I stopped her."

"You should've let her!" the girl said, glaring at Buffy. "They don't deserve to live!"

Quentin frowned at the girl, but there was compassion in his eyes. "I agree. But it's not our place to take lives. Just save them," he said simply. "What's your name?"

"Sin," the girl said.

"Sin what?" Quentin prodded. The girl gave him a sullen look, obviously not going to give him more. He sighed. He could never face a girl like this without thinking of his own girls. He could tell by looking at this one that she probably spent too much time on the streets. "Do you need medical attention?"

"I'm fine," the girl said quickly. Going to a hospital was the last thing she wanted.

"Is there a family or friend I can call for you?" Quentin asked.

The girl shook her head. Buffy wanted to cry. She couldn't imagine Dawn being hurt in such a way and not calling her. Nor the reversal. Now that Dawn was a grown woman, Buffy didn't have to shield her quite so much. "Why don't you arrest these losers, and I'll take care of her?"

"I need a statement from her before I can charge these guys," Quentin said.

"That's why you should've let the woman kill them! I don't want any trouble with no cops!" the girl said.

"You are not in trouble," Quentin said easily. "But you will have to testify."

"Not going to happen!" Sin said stubbornly.

"Why don't you let me take care of her?" Buffy suggested, giving him a look that said back off. "I will find out where we can find her tomorrow.

Sin figured getting rid of the Barbie doll would be a piece of cake, so she relaxed slightly. She nodded. "Yeah, tomorrow will be better. I need some time to—uh—get over this," she said, wincing at how weak that sounded.

Quentin looked resigned and nodded. "Fine. But you must come by the station tomorrow and give a statement," he said. He glanced at Buffy. "Be careful."

She smiled warmly at him. "Always," she said. She stepped up to him and kissed him. Knowing he wouldn't appreciate it if she tried to get carried away, she kept it short and sweet. "I'll call you later."

She looped her arm through Sin's. "You can come home with me. I live just down the street," Buffy said, knowing the girl was planning on disappearing on the streets at the first opportunity.

"What?" Sin asked in surprise, trying to pull away from Buffy. However, Buffy refused to release her. This woman was unusually strong for a woman. Sin recalled how effortlessly she'd broken the thick wooden staff and hesitated. No need to piss off a woman who had such a skill set. At least not until she had to.

Buffy pulled her away from Quentin who was bending down to handcuff one of the guys. "I figured you probably could use a safe place tonight. My place is crappy, but it's safe," Buffy said. "Don't argue with me. You won't win."

Sin looked at the woman a bit in awe. Two women in one night appeared out of nowhere to help her. Her own mother could never be bothered to notice her whereabouts or well-being, yet these two strangers did so with such casual ease. Although she wanted to thank the woman who had first saved her, she couldn't ignore the woman in front of her now. "Who are you?" she asked incredulously.

The woman smiled brightly. "Buffy. Buffy Summers," she said. "Does Sin stand for Cynthia?"

The girl grimaced. "You ever call me that and you'll regret it!"

Buffy laughed. "Sin is much cooler!" she agreed. "Come on." She tugged on Sin's arm, leaving her no choice but to go along. She glanced back at her attackers who were being arrested. At least tonight, they wouldn't be on the streets hurting someone else. That was better than nothing.

******_The Next Day******_

The next day Buffy was at the Queen mansion in their gym training with Thea and Roy. Roy was finally willing to spar with his girlfriend even though he never could bring himself to hit her. He mainly practiced his footwork and avoided her hits, or tried to anyway.

After ten minutes, Buffy called time. She put Roy to work on the punching bag. Since he had a lot of aggression, it was a good way for him to work some of it out and practice throwing hits.

"So a slayer is naturally light on her feet—spry," Buffy told Thea. "Before I was called I was a cheerleader, and I could do a cartwheel. Then suddenly I could do this." She moved to one corner of the mat, and began a full gymnastic routine that included lots of backwards flips and ended in the splits.

Roy stopped what he was doing to watch her in amazement. A girl that flexible was incredibly hot. He eyed his girlfriend with new eagerness.

"So even as old as you are, you can still do the splits?" Thea asked in amazement.

Buffy got up and grinned, taking no offense. "Yeah, we seem to age slower. Since the average life span of a slayer used to be seventeen, we never knew that. Faith and I are the oldest recorded slayers. She's a few years older than me, but I was called earlier. So far my body seems to work the same as it always did. A definite perk," she said. She jumped up easily to her feet.

Thea looked thoughtful. "So I should be able to do that?" Thea asked.

"Yep," Buffy said.

None of them noticed their audience. Oliver had arrived as his home with Diggle and Felicity. When Diggle mentioned that Buffy's bike was out front, he was itching for a confrontation. However, when he arrived at his gym, he paused. An incredibly beautiful woman was flipping all over the place like a jumping jack.

"That's her. That's Buffy," Felicity whispered unnecessarily. "I'm going to have her teach me how to do that! I can do the splits, you know." Felicity may never become a real fighter, but she could do some of that. At least that was her thought as she watched the two woman. She watched eagerly. Finally, here was something within her realm of capabilities! Then she frowned. Who was she kidding? She could never look so natural doing that.

No, Oliver didn't know that and the idea of Felicity doing the splits so startled him that he had to blink away the image. He had put Felicity so firmly in the friend's box that he refused to notice her as a woman. He'd never managed to be friends with a woman who wasn't a former lover, so he valued the real friendship he'd developed with Felicity. When an occasional stray thought popped in his head whenever he noticed how attractive she looked, he worked hard to push it down. Shaking his head to dispel the image of Felicity doing the splits, he forced himself to focus on the scene in front of him. When the woman mentioned the average lifespan of slayers used to be seventeen, his fist clenched in rage. How dare this woman lead his only sister into something so dangerous!

He started to step into the room when Thea suddenly stepped forward on the mat and did almost a mirror image of the routine Buffy had done. His mouth fell over in shock. He glanced at Diggle, who didn't seem nearly as surprised. He just grinned proudly. Felicity looked a bit sad. Frowning, he started to ask her what was wrong. Then he realized it was not the time.

He stepped into the room. "Thea. I'm home," he announced.

Thea turned. When she realized it was him, her face broke into a huge smile. She came running toward him, throwing her arms around him, hugging him tightly. He hugged her back; he'd missed her more than he realized.

Buffy watched the reunion with a smile. It was good to see siblings so close. She and Dawn were still close after all these years. However, she was taken aback when Thea's brother threw an angry glare her way. He moved toward her like he was stalking her. He was like a panther—so much suppressed energy. Willow's research had never mentioned his presence was so magnetic. All that focused energy was zeroed in on her. He was _not _a happy person. She glanced at Felicity, who was looking both guilty and apologetic.

Roy moved away from the punching bag, sensing things were about to get ugly.

_******To Be Continued******_

_I know it's a bit cruel to leave it at this point, but I will update in a week or so. Thanks for reading! Take a minute to review, please!_


	9. Chapter 9

**Sorry for the longer than normal wait for this update. I moved this weekend. I finished this yesterday, but my internet isn't turned on yet. I didn't get to wifi until today to post. I think you'll enjoy this one.**

Chapter 9: Welcome Home

_******Where We Left Off******_

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming home?" Thea asked her brother.

"I thought I'd surprise you," Oliver said, smiling at her. He glanced at Buffy, his smile leaving his face.

Buffy frowned, sensing that big brother was not pleased with her. However, she said nothing. It'd taken her a decade to finally control her nervous rambling. It would take a whole lot more than Oliver Queen to make her babble these days.

Felicity spoke. "Hmm, well, Dig and I told Oliver about the new thing you're doing," Felicity said, flashing Buffy a guilty look.

"I would've told him," Thea said, looking annoyed.

"Diggle promised me he'd watch out for you. He was concerned," Oliver said easily. "I overheard what your new friend was saying to you. I can't say I'm happy about this, Thea."

"Oliver, you have been gone for two months. You don't know anything," Thea said, not happy. She glanced at Buffy, who gave her an encouraging smile. "This is Buffy Summers. She's the oldest living vampire slayer. She's been training me."

"Yes, I heard," Oliver said, giving Buffy a grim look. He wasn't happy about this, and for once, he wasn't going to pretend otherwise.

"Buffy, this is my brother Oliver," Thea introduced.

Buffy held out her hand. Good manners forced Oliver to take her hand. It felt like any other girl's hand. She didn't try to squeeze his or give a show of force like he was more than a little tempted to do.

The woman gave him a brilliant smile. "It's nice to meet you. Your sister is quite special," she said.

Oliver was taken aback by her natural charisma when she focused that energy on him. However, he was _not _about to be charmed. He was, himself, a natural charmer. It had been one of the pre-Island traits he'd retained. He'd not used it on the island much, but it could be called upon when the moment called for it.

Now was not that moment. "Yes, she is," he agreed. "And I do not like at all you bringing danger into my sister's life."

"The danger was already there. It was only a matter of time before she drew the supernatural to her because she _is _supernatural," Buffy said flatly.

Oliver couldn't contain his smirk. "Yeah, right. I'm not sure what kind of delusion you're suffering under or con you're running, but you are going to leave my sister out of it. I've seen a lot of evil things in my life, but in my experience men don't need demons to do truly awful things," he said, a shadow in his eye.

Buffy just laughed, unoffended. "Regardless of what you believe or know to be true, I am thirty-six years old and have been fighting demons and vampires for two decades. I've died twice. I've stopped the world from ending on multiple times. I don't need to run any cons on anyone. I know my business. And whether you like it or not, your sister _is _my business."

Oliver looked at her in surprise, momentarily distracted. "You're thirty-six?" he asked in disbelief.

Thea gave her brother a bemused look. "That's the part you heard? Seriously?" she asked. She shook her head, a loud snort slipped out. "You need to relax, Ollie. Buffy is amazing, and she is showing me how to be amazing, too."

"You are already amazing, Thea. You don't need her or anyone else to make you more so," Oliver stated.

Buffy couldn't be truly annoyed at a guy who would say such a thing to his sister and obviously mean it.

Thea beamed at Oliver. She raised up and kissed his cheek. "That's sweet of you to say, Ollie, but now I know I have super powers! You should see what I can do!" she said excitedly.

"She is pretty bad ass," Roy agreed, giving her an admiring glance.

Thea winked at him and then turned back to Oliver. She took up a boxer stance and bounced around Oliver, holding up hands in boxing position. "You want to see what I can do? I can take you!" she bragged. She threw out some playful pushes as she danced around him, causing him to smile and her audience to laugh.

Felicity was more than a little intrigued. Could Thea actually take Oliver? Thea and Buffy had no idea what Oliver could do.

"Come on, Ollie! Spar with me!" Thea begged. "You used to do it with Tommy. Surely, you remember some of that stuff?"

She threw out a punch to Oliver and blinked in surprise when Oliver instinctively blocked it. Roy's eyes widened, and he quickly moved into position.

"Your brother would just embarrass himself!" Roy said with a sneer. "You should spar with me!" He didn't think now was the time for Thea to discover her brother's own particular skill set.

Thea grinned and the two took up a position. It took Thea only a few minutes to knock Roy on his ass with an upper cut. She winced and gave him a guilty look. "Baby, I'm sorry!" she gushed as she got down on the floor to check on him.

Although Oliver was a bit surprised to see his sister so effortlessly knock her boyfriend on his ass, he took her distraction as a chance to say a few words to Buffy. "Listen, I'm back now. We don't need you here anymore trying to recruit my sister to whatever cause you're involved in. If Thea needs to practice fighting to make herself feel in control, then I will provide all the teachers she needs. You can go back to wherever you came from," Oliver told Buffy, a hint of his Arrow voice coming through as he spoke.

Buffy was finally getting annoyed with the man's arrogance and high-handedness. Two traits that never failed to set her teeth on edge. "I guess the reports of your arrogance where not exaggerated," Buffy said, rolling her eyes.

"Buffy lives here now, Oliver. She works at the club, and she's dating Detective Lance," Felicity shared.

Oliver was surprised by both bits of information. However, the fact that someone that looked like her was dating Laurel and Sara's father was more than surprising. His face reflected his surprise. "You're dating Quentin? Seriously?" he asked.

"Not that it's any of your business, but yes, I am. He's wonderful," Buffy said.

Thea heard Oliver's words and stood to her feet. "They're very cute, Ollie. Wait 'til you see them! Laurel, of course, isn't happy, but that's no surprise. She never is these days," Thea said. "As for the club, I run it now, and she works for me!"

Oliver's eyes flashed. "Consider her fired. Remember, I own the club. Not you. I never signed over anything to you. I don't want her working there," he said sternly. He gave Buffy a look. Getting the woman as far from his sister as possible was his first goal.

Buffy just shrugged dismissively. "No big. It's not like I really needed to be a bouncer. I just thought it'd be fun," she said.

"Bouncer? You hired her as a bouncer?" Oliver asked incredulously.

"She is very capable," John said, speaking for the first time. "She's underestimated and drunk men are so in love with her that she rarely has to use force to get them to leave. She has finesse; something you don't." John winked knowingly at him.

Thea glared at her brother. "You cannot come back now and start interfering! You said I could run the club. This is me running the club! Get over it! Things change when you disappear. Whether it's by accident or design. The world doesn't stop when you step away. Deal with it!" Thea exclaimed.

Oliver stepped up to his sister. "I didn't survive five years in hell and fight my way back to you to stand back and watch you endanger your life," he said in a too quiet voice, the pain he revealed shocking his audience. "I didn't watch person after person that I cared about die on that island to lose the person I love the most when I return home. I've lost Tommy. I can't bear to lose you, too. Don't you get that? Haven't I lost enough? Haven't I been through enough?"

The pain in his voice froze Thea. Her brother had never once referred to his time on the island to her. Nor had he ever shown such vulnerability to her. It served to kill her anger. "I didn't know there was other people on the island," she said, a note of question in her voice.

"There was for a time," Oliver said simply without elaborating.

Buffy, more than anyone there, understood suffering. She understood what it felt like to be broken and remade. It was clear that was what happened to Thea's brother. The barely controlled rage was just below the surface. The pain was leaking out. Buffy figured it was the first time he'd let his sister see that pain. She knew she had to tread carefully. "Hey, I'm not here to cause your sister any pain. I'm not here to lead her into danger. I'm here to protect her, to train her to protect herself," Buffy said.

"She has me. She doesn't need you," Oliver said warily. He reached out and pulled his sister to his side. Realizing she was all grown up the past year had been hard enough. He wasn't sure he was ready for more.

"She does. Soon you will understand that," Buffy said easily. She decided now was not the time to press the issue further. "I'll talk to you later, Thea. We'll work this out." She walked over to a chair and grabbed her keys.

Felicity followed Buffy out, figuring Oliver needed some privacy with his sister. John was a step behind her.

"Buffy, wait!" Felicity called out. Buffy stopped and waited. "Sorry about Oliver. He just worries a lot about people he cares about."

"I understand that. I'm the same way with my sister. She hates it, too," Buffy said with a rueful smile. Then she gazed curiously at Felicity and John. "You two didn't go to Central City, did you? You made up that story about work."

Felicity's guilty look and glance at John answered her question. John decided to handle this one. "Protecting Oliver is what I do," John said with a shrug.

"I get that, but I don't get what that has to do with you," she said pointing at Felicity. "I thought you worked in IT? Oliver doesn't even work for the company, right?"

Felicity really should have thought this through more. Finally, she sighed. "Well, yes. That's how we met. Oliver came back from the island really ignorant about technology. His stepdad, Walter, sent him to me when he had trouble with a laptop. Then it became habitual. There's a lot he doesn't know. We became friends," Felicity explained. At least, all of that was true.

Buffy knew there was more Felicity wasn't sharing, but she decided not to press the matter. "I bet he's a good friend to have," Buffy said. "I'll give you guys some space. Oliver is going to have to come to terms with this one way or another. She's a slayer. It's simply the way it is. He's going to have to deal with what that means." She turned once again to leave. This time they didn't stop her.

_*****Later that Day*****_

Oliver tried talking to his sister after everyone left. However, she was upset that he fired Buffy. She tried to explain what she found out about herself, the things she could do. But Oliver hadn't been ready to listen. Now he regretted his impulse. He didn't want to fight with her.

"You okay?" Diggle asked, coming up behind him.

"I guess," Oliver said, putting his hand over face in frustration. "I just can't get over this. She's already so different. She really believes this."

"Oliver, you know I'm not given to flights of fancy. She's the real deal," Diggle told him.

"You really believe that?" Oliver asked.

"I know it's hard to wrap your mind around, and Buffy doesn't look like much of a fighter. Believe me, she is. So is your sister. Things change. You're going to have to accept it," Diggle informed him.

Oliver grimaced. He didn't know what to think anymore.

"So do you want to go to Verdant and see the changes Felicity made downstairs?" Diggle asked him.

"What do you mean changes? I'm not sure I can handle anymore changes," Oliver said.

Diggle smiled. "Trust me. This is a good change," Diggle assured him. He pulled out his phone to send Felicity a text. She'd want to be there.

A short time later, a beaming Felicity was turning on the lights and letting him see what she'd done to the place. He looked around, impressed. Seeing his green hood in a glass case brought him mixed emotions. On one hand, he liked seeing the symbol of Shado given such respect. On the other hand, he didn't think he could ever be the Hood again.

"I'm not going to do it anymore," Oliver told his friends after he'd walked around. "I can't go back."

"This isn't about going back," Felicity said. "It's about going forward. The Glades is getting worse every day. Things are getting out of hand. The city needs you, Oliver."

"She's right. You can do more good," Diggle said.

Oliver gave a bitter, humorless laugh. "I'm not sure I did any good to begin with. I didn't stop Malcolm. I didn't save Tommy. He died still hating me. He saw a killer when he looked at me," Oliver said. "I don't want to be a killer."

Felicity couldn't stand the derision in his voice. She went toward him. She put a hand on his arm. "You aren't a killer, Oliver. Yeah, maybe you've killed. Maybe you could've, like, not killed some of them. But you're one guy. Sometimes you were outnumbered. Sometimes there wasn't any choice. But there's still work to do in this city. You showed me that, Oliver. You made me a part of something. I don't want to go back to just hiding behind my computers. I don't want to be just another IT girl. I want to make a difference," Felicity said passionately. "That's what we did. We made a difference. Sure one of the bombs went off. But not both of them. We saved lives. A lot of lives. You and Dig got rid of Merlyn. Who knows how many more he would've killed? Some people are too evil to live."

"You can't just look at the defeats, Oliver. You got to look at the big picture," Diggle said.

"I don't want to be the Hood anymore," Oliver said, feeling frustrated.

"Then don't be that. But be the hero we know you to be," Felicity said. "Buffy being here has shown me the world is even more evil that we thought. Thea needs you now more than ever. And she doesn't just need her brother. She's going to need the Hood."

Oliver wasn't so sure about that. However, he didn't want to argue with Felicity. "The place looks good. Thanks," he said. When she smiled at him, he realized how much he'd missed that smile of hers. She never failed to make him feel good about himself. It was one of her many gifts. "I can't make you guys any promises, but I'll think about it."

"Good," Felicity said.

"So how about I take the two of you to dinner?" Oliver suggested.

"Don't you think you should spend some time with your sister?" Felicity said.

"I'll invite her. And Roy. He's managed to keep my secret all summer. Buying him dinner is the least I can do," Oliver said. He got out his phone to call his sister.

Thea was with Roy when Oliver called her. She was glad he invited Roy. Maybe he just needed some time. Roy was being a lot more understanding than Thea expected.

"Oliver invited us to dinner," Thea shared.

"Cool," Roy said, smiling. He was eager to spend more time with Oliver. He wanted the Hood to see what he'd learn from Buffy and Diggle.

Thea gave him a suspicious look. "Why do you seem eager? Since when do you like my brother?" she asked.

"I've never _not _liked him. I just didn't like the dismissive way he looked at me sometimes. Like I'm not good enough for you," Roy explained. "Now I know that's just the way he is with everyone. No one would be good enough for you."

Thea smiled. "Yeah, he's a little more intense than he was before the island," she said.

"What was he like then? You've told me a bit, but I have trouble picturing him as just a spoiled rich kid that did nothing but party," Roy said.

"And charm all the ladies," Thea said with a grin.

Roy laughed. "You can tell me more on the way to the restaurant."

She told him her favorite Oliver stories while he drove them to Oliver's favorite restaurant.

Dinner was pleasant. Thea kept them entertained with stories of the various disasters that occurred her first week opening the club. Oliver enjoyed watching her smile and laugh as she and Roy shared. He managed to keep his smile when they began telling him about the training they were doing over the summer. However, he seemed mostly surprised when Thea mentioned Felicity being involved.

"You? You're taking self-defense?" Oliver asked in surprise.

"Don't look so surprised," Felicity said, feeling a bit offended. "A girl in the Glades should know how to protect herself, especially when the vigilante isn't around anymore to keep the streets safe."

Both Roy and Oliver looked startled to hear her so casually refer to the vigilante.

Thea snorted. "That freak probably got flattened in the earthquake. He spent most of his time on top of buildings, so when one of them caved in, he probably got crushed," she said.

"Or injured. Maybe he just got hurt and is waiting to heal," Felicity said, giving Oliver a meaningful look.

"Or maybe he's just tired of fighting a losing battle," Oliver added, unable to stay silent anymore.

Roy looked surprised at Oliver's words. Before he could say anything, Thea said, "Buffy said fighting evil is the hardest, most thankless job you can ever do. She says there are times when you'll give anything to forget the rest of the world. But we can't because we live in the world. We have an obligation to help."

Oliver gave John a sharp look. He didn't say anything but gave a slight nod. Oliver had been enjoying not thinking about the whole slayer business. However, he had a feeling it wasn't something he was ever going to be able to ignore for long. "I know Detective Lance would tell you being a public servant is a thankless job. Laurel has remarked on that more than once," he said.

"I told Buffy my obligation was to my family," Thea said, surprising Oliver. She reached over and grabbed Oliver's hand. "I don't plan on following Buffy on some crusade, Ollie. But I'm not just a Queen. I realize that now. There's so much she's shown me in just a few weeks. I'm not sure about the whole vampire thing. I've not seen one yet, but I do know there's something to what she says. I'm not normal. I really want you to be a part of this, Ollie. I don't want to do this without you."

Oliver felt more than a twinge of guilt as he thought about all he'd done without his sister, but he was grateful that she wasn't going to shut him out. "I don't want that either. I'll try to keep any open mind," he promised.

After dinner, Diggle went to get the car. Thea walked out with her arm linked with Oliver's. Felicity and Roy were right behind them.

"What did he mean by that comment?" Roy whispered to Felicity. "He's not going to be the Hood anymore?"

"He's having some issues," Felicity said. "He'll come around." She said it with more confidence than she felt.

Oliver was walking Thea to her car when Thea stopped suddenly. "Did you hear that?" she asked Oliver.

He turned toward the area north of the restaurant where his sister had been looking. He stretched out his senses. Finally, he heard a scream that got cut off.

"Someone's in trouble!" Thea called. She pulled away from Oliver before he could grab her and headed toward the nose. She reached into her small purse and pulled out the stake Buffy told her to never go anywhere without. Although she felt a bit silly clutching it, she did so. A nice lethal knife or gun probably would've been better. However, Buffy had been adamant.

"Thea!" Oliver called out. He raced after his sister. He called over his shoulder to Felicity. "Don't even think about it!"

Felicity glared but stopped. She pulled out her phone to call John. Roy raced after them.

When Thea made it to the shadows where the noise was coming from, she saw a man biting into a woman. Her eyes widened as she realized it was a vampire. A real live vampire. Just like Buffy had said.

"Hey! Stop it!" she yelled. The fear she expected to feel wasn't there. Instead, she felt an incredible anger well up inside of her. This creature was trying to drain that woman's life. A woman who had probably never hurt a single person. Thea charged forward and grabbed the man and yanked him away from the woman.

"Thea! Don't!" Oliver called as he saw his sister attack some guy. However, when the guy turned toward his sister, Oliver realized it wasn't some street thug. The guy's eyes were yellow and his face was deformed. When the guy flashed his fangs at Thea, Oliver realized he was looking at a vampire. He glanced at Roy, whose face reflected the surprise Oliver was feeling. Oliver's fear for his sister increased a hundred fold. As he stepped forward to intervene, Roy reached out to stop him.

"Don't. This is her job. Not yours," Roy said. "She can handle this." Roy felt incredibly proud to watch Thea fearlessly face down her first monster. He wasn't about to let her brother take it from her.

Oliver had a moment of indecision that was taken out of his hand as he watched his baby sister attack the creature. He stood there stunned as his sister pummeled the thing. Then she jabbed a pointy wooden stake at it. All of a sudden, she found her mark and the thing dissolved into dust.

She turned and faced them, her face flush with her success. At the that moment, Oliver realized she was more alive than he'd ever seen her. His mind tried to reconcile what he knew of her and what he'd just witnessed. Somehow he didn't think things were ever going to be the same again.

*****_Chapter End*****_


End file.
